Tag Archives: Work Efficiency

May15

The perils of multitasking and how it reduces your work efficiency

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The perils of multitasking and how it reduces your work efficiency

Did you know that multitasking hurts your brain and sacrifices your effectiveness at work? We are all proud of our ability to multitask. Hell, it even holds a special place in our resumes, since it has been long touted as one of the skills that could get people hired. Don’t get me wrong, it is an awesome skill to have. Especially since we’re living in a world full of constant distractions – an inbox full of emails, pings of text and instant messages, post its, multiple open tabs, and free work lunches. Every and all things are constantly vying for our attention. And how to manage our time attending to all of them is one very big challenge

Sure, you can take care of all of it, all at once, right now. Sure! However…you might feel that you’re doing more – and you are – but you are actually getting fewer things done in the long run. So how do you streamline your workload, become more productive, and manage your time well enough to knock out some of the bigger stuff that you should absolutely be focusing on, all while being more efficient at your job? Well, first you stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time!

Here’s the science:
The brain cannot effectively switch between tasks since it takes the brain four times longer to recognize new things when you’re multitasking or doing tasks all together at the same time. Have you ever tried listening to a training video while encoding data into your company CRM? Well, how did that work out for you? I bet it didn’t. You wouldn’t be able to focus. Multitasking actually costs you time – which is the time you don’t have – that’s why you were trying to do them all at the same time in the first place, right? Studies also show that you have a much lower retention rate when multitasking, which is bound to cause you to make mistakes. And mistakes cost time – time to identify and rectify.

So what should you do?

  1. Take quick breaks from your screen, both at work and at home. This exercise forces you to:
    ○ Stop keeping your work screen in the background when you’re doing deep work like studying, thinking, analyzing, etc.
    ○ Stop using your TV screen as background noise when you’re resting recuperating, or relaxing.
    ○ Social media counts as a screen, so take a break from this as well. Don’t use your break time to check social media – I know it’s hard but if I can do it, so can you. You know how those cat videos and plant photos on Instagram are a huge time sucker.
  2. Avoid answering emails when you’re doing the bulk of your deep focus work – it won’t be the end of the world if an email gets unanswered for 45mins, if it’s urgent they’ll ping you. Which leads me to… keep your messaging apps muted. They are a distraction that you can’t afford while working.
  3. Schedule your day – plan your days around meetings and get your to-do list organized for the day + 2 days after. This will give you the flexibility to move things around and help you identify which tasks you need to focus on and which have to absolutely get done right away.

How about you, what are your tips on how to stop multitasking and focusing on deep work? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Mar19

Finding Work Efficiency Part 1: Morning Hacks

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Finding Work Efficiency Part 1: Morning Hacks

I’m always on the lookout for productivity hacks, little things that can improve the way I work. I’ve tried a few of them that you can read here, here, and here. I try to mix and match or switch them up depending on what works for me. I read about productivity tactics and looks for ways to improve and develop my work strategies.

Some of the challenges I face, aside from the threat of low productivity, is having low energy, and procrastination. I also have a hard time switching between tasks or staying focused sometimes. My biggest hurdle is procrastination. In the midst of a huge report that is due at the end of the week, I suddenly have the urge to revisit my adult colouring books or have the overwhelming desire to re-organize my scrum board. I also have a funny story about cooking a full-on beef stew and making a production out of it, just to avoid starting a project – that is a story for another time.

So, what have I learned during my readings? A lot and not much at the same time. I have read a lot of hack that I wouldn’t dream of applying at work. Hacks like wake up at 5 in the morning would NOT work well for me. But there are some pretty good gems out there. I’ll write about some of the things that worked well for me in this 3-part series.

Morning Hacks
They say that how you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it. So, if the first thing you do is go on Instagram to post a #wokeuplikethis selfie, then…

What makes sense is to start your day with a purpose. I don’t mean that you should send yourself off into a panic thinking of your looming (and formidable) to – do list. I mean that you should take some time for introspection or examining/observing your own thoughts and emotions. You can do this while making coffee or going for a run, if that’s your thing. I usually do this while making myself a cup of coffee. I think about my small wins from the previous day and pep myself up for the day’s tasks.

I also make it a point to make my bed. I saw a YouTube video about this. You can watch it here. It’s called “Change the World by Making your Bed” by Admiral William McRaven. The part which resonates most with me is this: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride. And it will encourage you to do another task. By the end of the day, that one task will reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter…and if you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never do the big things right.”

How about you, how do you start your day? We’d love to hear about your morning productivity hacks. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help