You may think you can multitask, but it's all
an illusion.
Your brain is not wired to perform mental
calisthenics.
Trying to do 27 things at once only "ruins
productivity, causes mistakes, and impedes creative thought",
argues a neuroscientist.
Professor Earl Miller of The Picower Institute for
Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
wrote in Fortune earlier this month that humans have very limited
capacity for simultaneous thought.
He cited an example of checking an e-mail while writing
a pitch for a client.
"When you finally return to the pitch, your brain has
to expend valuable mental energy refocusing on the task,
backtracking, and fixing errors. Not only does this waste time, it
decreases your ability to be creative," said Prof Miller.
So, if multitaskers get less done, how should we power
up our productivity in the new year?
Stop multitasking for a week and see if you don't get
more done in a day.
Each night before you go to bed, or each morning before
you begin work, create a To-Do list.
Put your most important tasks for the day at the
top.
Focus on completing one task at a time, starting with
the one at the top of the list.
As soon as you complete that item, cross it out, so
that the next task on the list becomes your first task.
Continue until you have completed all your important
tasks for the day.
This is related to multitasking, but it goes a bit
deeper. When you flit from task to task, you:
If you want to be highly productive on an assignment,
be fully present.
The task at hand is your only focus at that point of
time.
If a new thought about work distracts you, add that to
your to-do list, and turn your attention back to what you were
doing.
The most productive people know the most important
duties they have to complete each week. In other words, they also
schedule a weekly Must-Do list.
The weekend is a good time to spend a few moments to
plan your upcoming week.
Alternatively, spare 10 minutes on Friday evening
before leaving the office to jot down the five big To-Dos for the
following week.
You could also text reminders to yourself on your
smartphone while commuting.
Continual learning of new knowledge is necessary in
today's dynamic labour market.
When learning, do so at a faster pace. Speed up that
Ted Talk video or audio book three times faster.
This may sound like you are compromising learning
effectiveness, but that isn't the case.
Trainers slow down the speed at which they speak on
e-books and videos, and you have the ability to listen and absorb
the information at a faster pace than you think.
Use a service such as Audible for e-books and podcasts.
Use Enounce software for YouTube training videos.
Listening or watching at a faster pace may seem
unnatural at first, but you will get used to it - and pack in the
learning.
However, being wired 24/7 is a bad idea: Staying on top
of things calls for downtime too.
Disconnect to recharge. That means, no checking e-mail
and, if possible, no answering your smartphone either.
Give yourself a block of time when you are completely
untethered to all things digital.
Go outdoors, spend time with family and friends, and
get enough sleep to recharge your batteries.
When you are well rested, you approach your work with a
fresh perspective and you carry out tasks more quickly because your
mind is sharper.
Take the year end to spruce up your office laptop.
Junk the junk - old files you have not opened in six
months, old e-mail and past projects.
Or archive them. That would make searches for relevant
documents load faster.
Tidy up your computer - some people place their files
and folders willy-nilly on the desktop, then waste time looking
over dozens of icons each time to get what they need.
You will accomplish more by doing fewer things at once,
and by focusing and being organised.
Being focused means you do not lag in duties, avoid
backtracking, and free up time for your personal pursuits -
contributing to a more productive and happier you in the new
year.
Credit: This article was contributed by
Right Management, the global career experts within United States
listed HR consulting firm, ManpowerGroup.
TNP
