WEEK 3 JULY 2011
Instead of a quote, I thought I would do something different this week. It is a powerful exercise I learned from Dave Crenshaw's book, The Myth of Multitasking. It will only take you a few minutes but the lesson learned from it will change the way you do things.
Grab a pen and paper
Now write the phrase “Multitasking is worse than a lie” but after each letter you write, start to write the numbers 1 to 27 on the line below, switching between the letters and numbers each time. Now you have 60 seconds, go!
M u l t
1 2 3 4
How long did it take you?
Now try the same thing, but this time write the phrase first and then write out the numbers in order. You have 60 seconds, Go!
I bet the second time was faster! How much faster were you?
The first time you were multitasking or rather (switch tasking) jumping from one to the other, whereas with the second time you were doing things in serial method and focusing on one task at a time. The book illustrates this point of multitasking very well and shows how a very busy person (phone calls, email, meetings, etc.) who switches tasks is always losing small chunks of time.
Thinking about all the task you try to accomplish in a day.
Time is so precious. Do single focused tasks throughout the day and get things done quicker. Don’t live a life of reaction. Live a life of choice and have more time for you.
Multitasking is a lie! Have a great week and make every second count.
To your success
Ann
Ann Quinn, Ph.D Peak Performance Specialist
