Spend a day singletasking

Today I was almost run over by a distracted driver. She was talking on her cell phone, fiddling with the radio and balancing a cup of Starbucks as she drove. A drunk driver would have been less dangerous.

A few years ago, when working at Yahoo, I saw a distracted manager slowly strangle his group with ineffectiveness. He never did one task at a time, no he was a multi-task master. He grazed on email, surfed the web, hacked away at a spreadsheet and talked on his speakerphone -- all while meeting with his direct reports. He thought he was being super effective, in fact he was hopeless dilluted (or deluded).

Do you really think that driving is a no-brainer, leaving you excess capacity to spend on a cell phone call? Do you really think that your work projects are so easy that you can do them in your sleep? Do you really think you have the mental strength to try and juggle several tasks with freaking out?

Stop multi-tasking. Let it go. For one day, I suggest next Monday, single task everything you do. If you are going to check email, schedule that time and ONLY do that. If you have a meeting, leave all devices and stray thoughts at your desk and fully pour your attention into the meeting. Working on a report? Just do the report and turn off your email client or web browser. Most likely, you'll find that your work is much better when you single task. Try this when you drive too. Just drive. We'd all appreciate it.

Comments

[michael doan]

Tim, there was a article in the New York Times in March 2007 that discusses the ineffectiveness of multitasking. I found the following quote from the article very telling:

"The human brain, with its hundred billion neurons and hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, is a cognitive powerhouse in many ways. 'But a core limitation is an inability to concentrate on two things at once,' said René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University."

Here's the link to the article (registration required): http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/business/25multi.html?ei=5070&en=2c4cedf139210e30&ex=1186286400&pagewanted=print

[Chris Wilson]

Some where along the way we started thinking that efficiency could only be accomplished by doing many things all at the same time.

Just look at the stereotypical image of how many people picture a successful stockbroker; two phones in his or her hand, watching multiple tickers and analyst reports all while reading the Wall Street Journal all at the same time.

Then you have Warren Buffett prefers not to even see a stock ticker and limits and simplifies his portfolio to a focused few (around 10 or so companies), and he is one of the most successful investors in the stock market we have ever seen.

[Steve Roesler]

Way to go, Tim. This is a message that needs to be heard and heeded, whether on the road or in the office.

I'm starting to see the impact of another deception as popular as multitasking; and that is "leveraging."

As I watch managers chant that mantra as if it is ROI magic, I see the actual effects: reduced quality, burnout, and people leaving for saner surroundings.

Keep on writing...