Studies done by psychologists have discovered that the human race isn’t built to multi-task (surprise, surprise!). The human brain is designed to focus. Heck. Even Superman can’t do several items at once. Have you ever seen him when he has to decide who to save first? Even Superman can’t be at two places at once!
Sure. It feels efficient to when you’re doing 50 things at the same time and you may even brag that you’re great at it but guess what… it’s bound to bite you in the butt.
Doing everything on your to do list at the same time will make it easier for you to lose track of items and when you head home at the end of the day, you’re going to find that you’ve got more tasks started and less actually completed. How’s that efficient?
Certain tasks can be combined with no problem, especially if they use different parts of the brain. For example, listening to music while doing a spreadsheet. Or combining simple tasks like cooking dinner while cookies are baking in the oven.
However, more complex tasks are a different story. When you do two or more things at once, all which require major focus, you turn your cognitive capacity into that of an eight year old. No joke. Harvard MBA said so.
If you think running around like a chicken with its head cut off because you’re attempting to do several things at once makes you look like you’re being productive – think again! You are not being productive just because you’re busy!
Bottom line: You should only focus on one thing at a time. When you don’t, you split your focus up and sacrifice time and quality. You also lose the ability to really think deeply about what you’re doing. You may skim important details or mistype something. That’s how avoidable mistakes get made. Focus. Focus. Focus. Even if it’s only to get a huge chunk of a task done before moving onto the next.
In fact, doing the majority of a task then moving onto another is another helpful brain trick. Yes, you didn’t complete the task but doing as most of it, taking a break, then coming back to it a bit later allows your focus to reset. You may find things or come up with ideas you wouldn’t have if you hadn’t.
Harvard MBA recommends that you make a to do list and keep a pad of paper handy to write done tasks as they come to you. This way, your brain isn’t worried about forgetting to do something.
Then, pick the biggest task – the one you most likely would avoid – and do that one. It may seem easier to get all the small, easy tasks out of the way first but tackling the “worst” one right away is ideal. Completing it (or at least getting most of it done) gives your brain a sense of accomplishment and will fuel you to start knocking things off.
Sometimes, multi-tasking is unavoidable. That’s understandable, especially in the world we live in now. But limit those times as much as possible. If you must, start pushing back on items or seek help. Or set time to review your tasks and prioritize. Or step away and take a deep breath and reset your focus.
Your brain is a tool and learning how to manipulate it to your benefit is key. Just remember that no matter what you set your mind to, as long as you focus, you can accomplish more than you ever imagined.