This article was originally posted as: Hey
business owner — STOP MULTI-TASKING by Brad
Farris. I read it and read it again and
was reading it for a third time when I decided you have to read it. It is a
worthy companion for the Adventures of 2014. What do you think? Read along and
let’s have your comments; I can’t wait to interact with you and know what you
think.
Multitasking helps us do many things at once–so we get more done in less
time, right? Wrong. Once I started looking into it, I was shocked at what the
research shows.
What if I tell you that multitasking causes up to a 40% drop in productivity and these interruptions cost the American economy nearly $650 billion dollars a
year? You might be thinking, “Well that’s not me — I’m actually
great at multitasking”. Think again. Studies show that only about
2.5% of us are actually able to do it efficiently.
But Brad! Running a business means I have to
multitask; I’m the business owner! I have employees to manage, clients to handle, and
projects to deliver — and don’t forget about payroll, hiring that
new employee and writing
that proposal!
I know how it is! It
always seems that when I try to do just one thing, I end up doing a million
other things. I sit down at my desk to focus and:
§
My employees keep
knocking on my door with questions
§
Clients call without
warning throughout the day
§
Small fires sprout up
everywhere–and someone has to put them out!
Work on being present
When we’re present (that
is, all in one place, focused on the current moment, in the current space, with
the person who is actually in front of us…) we’re able to really give our
attention to one thing. And when we do that, we’re way more productive!
The holidays are a
great time to practice being present. While we have a little bit of time off
and may be able to grab bigger chunks of downtime, we are
pulled in many different directions. The demands of family, the demands of the
business at year end, and the expectations to give employees TLC, are like a
perfect storm over the holidays, right? The temptation to multitask seems like
it is never bigger. And that is why it is a great time to ignore those
temptations and be present where you are.
If you are spending
time with your family, be with your family. If you need to put in some hours on
a specific project, do just that. Attend to that project and nothing else; in
any case, what happens during the time you are present will be more meaningful,
have greater impact, and STICK better than what you do when you are juggling 2,
3, 4 or 5 things.
BUT. As a business
owner, you have to multitask! …Right? It’s just not possible to
have your attention only on one thing!
This is a deeply
ingrained myth. That’s why we’re talking about it all month long. We have
several colleagues writing on how they’ve successfully focused
on one thing, and how it has freed them up to stop multitasking.
My question to you
What do you do to stay
focused and cross items off your to-do list? Leave a comment and let me know —
we’re looking to compile members’ thoughts and write them up in a blog post at
the end of the month.
Brad Farris
I quite agree with you Brad however, one cannot take out multi-tasking completely from the picture, especially for small business owners. But I strongly recommend that we distance multi-tasking from social media frenzy ... it can be hazardous to getting stuffs done.
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