Multi-distracting

As Dave Crenshaw points out in his little book The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done the idea of doing two things at the same time is effectively false, especially in the business world. While it might be possible to watch TV and eat cereal at the same time, thinking that you can check email while working on a proposal is untrue. You have to actually stop writing the proposal in order to check your email. Then, as you return to writing, your brain has to switch gears again, a process that costs you several seconds at least. (Crenshaw calls this “switchtasking.”)

Do you have your email set to poke you when a new message comes in, taking you away from your current task? How about the phone… do you look to see who’s calling, even when you’re in the midst of a critical discussion with someone? How many times do you switch out of one task for something that’s not relevant? And how much time do you spend getting back to your intended task?

Keep this in the back of your mind today as you work. How much time is being gobbled up by switchtasking, and what can you do about it?