February 28, 2008
The Downside of Multitasking
February, National Time Management Month (NTMM), is an opportunity to learn to make the most of your time. If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to dedicate yourself to balancing your out-of-balance life, take advantage of NTMM and don’t let a promise made just one short month ago fall by the wayside.
Believe it or not, one of the ways to bring more balance and sanity to your life – and manage your time better - is to stop multitasking. One of the biggest misconceptions people have about time is that you can get more done in the same amount of time if you simply multitask. The demands of life today have brought multitasking to a new level, but it’s a misguided effort that all too often backfires. Psychologists have long said that a little stimulation increases productivity, but an overwhelming amount actually results in diminishing capacity. Now there is a growing body of research that backs up this thinking.
Researchers have been exploring the effects of multitasking and the constant distraction of high-tech devices – like laptops and Blackberries - that were intended to increase our productivity in the workplace and they have identified a condition known as attention deficit trait (ADT). With ADT, we experience difficulty prioritizing the overwhelming amount of incoming messages and tasks that vie for our attention. We become increasingly distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over the long term, underachieving. In other words, it costs you efficiency because you’re trying to juggle one more ball than you possibly can. Think about it. When was the last time you did just one thing for a half an hour?
If you want to have more time to spend with loved ones, not feel rushed all day long, or accomplish your business and personal goals this year, good time managements skills are essential. Though February is drawing to a close, it's still not too late to honor National Time Management month – and give yourself a break - by managing your time better by focusing your attention on doing just one thing at a time. Now that I given my undivided attention to writing this column, I am moving on to my next project!
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