“There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.” ~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, April 1747
Everybody I know has too much to do and too little time to get it done. Overstuffed schedules and overlong to-do lists mean many people live those “lives of quiet desperation” where at any given time we’re trying to do several things at once. The infamous ability to multitask.
Sure, I can cook dinner and help the kids with their homework.
I can read a magazine and eat dinner while watching the TV shows I’ve recorded on my DVR.
I can reply to text messages while I drive? (Wait, no I can’t. That’s illegal.) But I can do it at the dinner table.
I can monitor emails during that business meeting.
When tasks-to-be-done exceed time-in-the-day, it seems reasonable and efficient to double up on activities. It’s the only way to get it all done, right?
Right?
Maybe not.
Human multitasking, meaning the ability to do more than one task simultaneously, is a myth. Don’t take my word for it. Check out this NPR story and this piece in The New Atlantis. Numerous scientific studies have shown that when we think we’re multitasking, what our brain is actually doing is rapidly switching its focus back and forth among the various tasks. That hyperspeed switching has been found to actually impair productivity and even to temporarily (we hope) lower the multitasker’s IQ.
But just as important as these is how the ability to multitask impairs the quality of life. Habitual multitasking eventually leads to an inability to relax, to turn off, or to focus on anything for very long. It’s virtually impossible to be at peace if your mind is perpetually jumping among multiple attention-takers. Over time you realize you’re always tense, you don’t sleep well, and–maybe worst of all–the people in your life feel that you’re disconnected and even uncaring.
While sometimes it’s appropriate, and even necessary, to handle more than one task at a time, it is crucially important to your mental health to create some space in your life when you’re not being pulled in multiple directions. Space for quiet, for peace.
How? A few things come to mind:
- For some portion of every day, disconnect from the internet. Completely. Don’t check your email, or Facebook, or Twitter. Don’t play online games. Watch an entire movie without once checking your smart phone. Start with an hour a day and build up your tolerance level until you can stay offline for a full day.
- Turn off your phone at night or leave it in a different room. I struggle with this one. I have a busy legal practice, with clients who expect to be able to reach me pretty much 24/7. I used to keep my BlackBerry on my nightstand while I slept, and would awaken in the night to check and respond to emails. I’ve abandoned that practice, and now leave my iPhone down the hall, in my home office, at night.
- Take the weekends off. Although it seems that in my profession we’re never really off-duty, we can safely disconnect from work at appropriate times. On the weekends, I leave my iPhone in my home office while I do other things, checking a few times a day for urgent messages. I no longer keep it within reach at all times. And I haven’t yet lost a single client because of it.
- Take regular breaks. Read this article for great ideas on how and when.
- Don’t take your phone to dinner. Put your phone in another room at dinner time, and just spend those few minutes talking with the people at the table.
- Drive in silence. I have a long daily commute, and I like to use that time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. But sometimes, I turn everything off and drive in silence, with nothing to listen to but my own thoughts.
- Spend some time every day, or at least every week, outdoors, with no electronic devices. Sometimes, run without an iPod. Walk without your smart phone. Just you and the birds.
- Read a book with no music and no TV in the background.
- Don’t check emails during business meetings. Leave your smart phone or iPad in your office. Unless people’s actual, physical lives depend on reaching you at a moment’s notice (probably only true if you are a doctor or the President of the United States), the world won’t come to an end if you are out of the loop for an hour. So pay attention to what’s being said in the meeting. Take notes on paper if you need to. This is one that I need to work on this week.
The idea is to be a little more in the moment, and a little less distracted. You will find that as you make it a priority to focus more and “multitask” less, several benefits will accrue.
First, things that really don’t matter will fall off your to-do list.
Second, you’ll actually accomplish more (and more high-quality) work on the tasks that have your undivided attention.
Third, the people you interact with will begin to feel more valued and more “heard.”
Fourth, you will begin to feel less stressed and more at peace with yourself.
What do you think? Could your life be improved by focusing on one task at a time? Do you have any tips that you’d add to the list above? I’d love to see your thoughts in the comments below.
(Photo credit: Working from Home via Shutterstock)
I am also have a problem organizing my tasks . At the end of the day I feel that I did nothing and all the time is wasted even in my mind I’m ready to do things regularly .
Thanks for this article !
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Organizing tasks doesn’t come naturally to most people, but the good news is that it’s a skill that can be learned. Search the Lifehack archives for helpful articles. You can also check my I Was Just Thinking. . . blog (click on the link in my bio above) for some articles I’ve written on the subject.
Good luck to you!
Laura
I love all of these tips. I have been struggling with a short attention span in the last week and I knew it was from my attempts to multitask, especially on my computer. I bounce back and forth between web pages, photoshop, word and email like crazy. I can’t even read an article straight through without getting distracted. I will be employing some of these tips right away to help regain my sanity. Thank you.
I’m so glad you find them helpful. I know exactly how you feel about being able to stay focused — believe me, I wrote this post to myself!
While this is a great piece to read and apply in everyday life, I have to say it is really not for me.
Maybe I am one of the few that cannot imagine life without multitasking. I need to have my mind in two or more different places at any time in order to function at full speed. Of course, I do take time off (rarely) and enjoy almost all of the above tips. But during the day, no matter if I work or stay at home, I need to multitask. And I love to do so. So far doing it hasn’t affected my sleep or life in general. At least not that I am aware of…
You and I are very similar in this aspect. I function best when I have a full plate. Running at 100% is more productive for me than focusing on one task at 75%. Yet, as you said you do rarely, at times, I sit back and stop just to recharge my batteries.
I think that in this, like in most things about life, there are always exceptions, and maybe you’re one of them. If your life works for you, then . . . carry on! :-)
Thank you for taking the time to stop in and share your thoughts.
Laura
I would agree with phone statement to a degree, or rather I find it relative. I personally get sick with what I call “phone humping”, yes, I’m somewhat uncouth, apologies if offended. But I just personally detest conversing with someone while their face is attached to their phone screen. And, I think it’s great if people put their phone away from them, more so, so they don’t get to the point where they panic when they’ve realized they left their phone at home. But the point I wanted to express is that I think it’s good not to be at the beck and call of your phone while you sleep. But at the same time I personally wouldn’t leave myself with no connection while I sleep, specifically the ability to be alerted by a ringervif there is an emergency at night and someone needs to reach you (i.e. A child, out of town spouse,loved one).
And I don’t know whether you are able to easily hear your phone from your office, while you slumber. But I would recommend having a good ole’land line next to your bed while you sleep, assuming all pertinent people have this number as well as your cell phone. I absolutely agree with people needing to surgically remove their electronic devices from their brain at multiple times during the day, if only for just thirty minutes a day. But as I said , I don’t know your setup at home, but I would always leave some viable way for loved ones to instantly get a hold of you while you sleep at least. Very nice recommendations and list.
I’m glad you found it helpful, and I appreciate your taking time to share your thoughts. We do have a land-line phone near the bedroom for emergency calls — although I must admit that in 30-plus years I’ve only received one late-night phone call that I’d classify as an emergency. :-)