It is not multitasking, which is the problem. But, what we are multitasking, and how it connects to our overall objective that forms part of our primary focus determines the effectiveness of multitasking.
Originally shared by Mike Elgan
How to stop multitasking and start focusing
(Read my column: https://goo.gl/yeGXB9 )
The great plague of our era is endless distraction. The internet and social sites never stop beckoning us through our phones, tablets, laptops and other gadgets.
The default mode now is a constant state of multitasking. We flip through Instagram while watching TV, text while having a conversation and track Twitter while building a presentation.
There's just one problem: Multitasking is a myth.
What actually happens when you think you're multitasking is that you're mentally switching back and forth between tasks. It feels like you're beating the clock by doing two things at once. But the excess mental energy it takes to disengage from one thought process and re-engage with the other one is wasteful.
Imagine mowing three feet of lawn, then running over to paint a strip of the fence, then back to mowing, then back to painting. It might feel like you're doing two things at once. In reality, you're just being inefficient, burning needless energy and extending the time it takes to mow the lawn and paint the fence.
The good news is that you can employ a range of tricks and strategies to guard yourself against the constant lure of distractions and multitasking.
http://www.baselinemag.com/careers/how-to-stop-multitasking-and-start-focusing.html
#multitasking #deepwork