Get More Done - Single-task!

Single-tasking: doing one thing at a time

Over the last few weeks, I've felt more and more productive after switching things up and avoiding multi-tasking. Throughout my whole career, I've always been focused on improving my multi-tasking abilities in order to be more productive and get through my to-do lists quicker. What a myth! What an absolute myth! Let me tell you what happened:

1. I still never got everything done

2. I never remembered what was said/discussed in meetings (I'd be thinking about all the other things I had to do)

3. I was not as focused on quality (quality over quantity!)

4. It was NOT fun! 😩

Seriously, after some time I started to question whether it was even worth the stress to become a master multi-talker. And so this year, I decided to switch things up and avoid multi-tasking. Scientific studies tell us that single-tasking is so much better for productivity and stress levels. As a result, I am now training myself to be single-task focused and here's what I've found so far:

1. I get the important things done: I have accepted that it's impossible to do everything to the standard I'd like and I'd rather get a few things done well than start lots of things and leave them unfinished

2. I am more present in meetings and discussions, dedicating myself to the topics at hand which gets my creative juices flowing. I have more ideas to do things differently based on things I'm hearing and learning. No more checking emails whilst on a Teams call! 👋🏾

3. The quality of my work has improved. I actually make time to think about and plan my presentations or prepare for meetings rather than trying to wing it!

4. I enjoy my role so much more now because I no longer put pressure on myself to get everything done. I'm still not getting EVERYTHING done but guess what, I'm still performing very well at my job and getting the most important stuff done so everyone (well, almost everyone 🙈) is happy!

If you're currently a multi-tasker, would you consider switching to single-tasking? If so or if not, let me know why in the comment section below!