Multitasking is out

Sun 25 2016

Multitasking is out – singletasking is in

by bernt & torsten

I’m not sure if you are like me, I work on many things at the same time, while writing this article, I’m also answering support questions on Skype as well as talking to my wife. I’m multi-tasking and for years I have believed that multi-tasking is a great skill to have, I have started to wonder if that is the case.

I recently came across an article in a Swedish paper that said “Multitasking is out! Now you should do single-tasking”

For years people have said that it’s good to do multitask, that is doing several things at once. Now the pendulum has swung in the other directions, so call experts are now saying that we are more effective if we focus on a task at a time. They even came up with the phrase “Single-tasking”, which is the new buzz word.

Modern society

In the modern, streamlined society “multitasking” been considered an attractive trait. Be able to keep several balls in the air at the same time – manage emails with one hand and delegate tasks with the other – have shown resistance to stress and productivity.

But more and more experts suspect that the desire to get as much done as possible in the shortest time is one of our greatest mistakes, CNN reported. For the closer study, we seem to perform more tasks better if we approach them one by one.

We are not cut to multi-task

This is because we are not created to multitask. Our brains are programmed, on the contrary, to think of one thing at a time. So when we engage in multiple activities “at the same time” we exchange only really back and forth between different tasks. With the result that we are not sufficiently focused on some of the data because we are so eager to proceed to the next.

Therefore, you should single task

Experts think that we get 50 percent less done when we are trying to check off several items on the to-do list at the same time than if we attack them one by one, one after another. Therefore experts advocates for “single-tasking” instead of multitasking.

Being present in the moment and focus on one thing at a time will make the task becomes more and more fully carried out and that it will be completed faster. Here are three common situations in which your advantage should:single-tasking:

Walk

We need fresh air, vitamin D and exercise, so a walk sometime during the day is great. But if we go with the kids, or talking on the mobile, we miss the essential: to take in the environment, odors and sounds around you. So leave the phone in the office and take a pod free power walk on for about twenty minutes.

In dealings with others

You eat dinner with the family or some friends – and everyone is seated (occasionally) checking their mobile, it might be wise to agree that all leave their phone in a bag or jacket pocket. And no, it will not do to have it in your pocket or upside down on the table. Then it will go up as soon as it vibrates and lights up the screen.

At bedtime

Leave your phone in another room when sleeping. The bed should be namely by focusing on just sleep. If you checking your phone just before you turn off the light, the risk is great that you are getting harder to fall asleep, or waking several times during the night. To start the morning with scrolling through Facebook or Instagram is not particularly restful.

Conclusion

Take your own time, make sure you are not contactable by mobile or other means – and relax, you need to lower your stress level.

My best stress release is going for a long bike ride – without having my phone with me – It’s just me and the road. Let me know what your stress release is and if you are a hard code multitasker.

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