Drive...Stop...Back Up: Why Multitasking Does Not Add to Productivity and Good Time Management Skills
70mph?80mph?90mph?100mph...110mph?. That's how so many people charge through each day, accelerating from the time they wake up. No matter how high the speed limit is set, you frequently exceed it-and multi-task while you do it. You often feel as though you are losing control.
Drive
There is no doubt that the business world requires you to keep moving. In itself moving is positive. You want to be as productive as possible within a certain period of time. The problems start occurring when, instead of moving forward with a prioritized schedule at a planned pace, you end up responding to crises all day long, swerving from one task to another at a dizzying pace.
Sometimes the speed is exhilarating, and sometimes it is scary. In either case, you get pumped on adrenaline. The mechanics of your bodies are amazingly intricate, and adrenaline is one of your body's built-in protections. This hormone is designed to help you survive in dangerous situations.
For an example of the second feature of the adrenaline rush, imagine yourself in an earlier period living on the plains of Africa. A lion starts chasing you. You get that shot of adrenaline, and everything appears in slow motion. This enables you to take the right actions with your spear in fighting off the lion. If you are mauled, you will not feel any pain, enabling you to focus all of your resources into protecting yourself.
While that rush is for your protection in extreme situations, you may find yourself operating in that state throughout the day. Resulting symptoms can result include a feeling of detachment from reality and from the people around you. You may have the sensation that you are observing life but not participating in it. Then you begin to feel anxious and so you start pumping in more adrenaline as you worry about it.
Another result is that adrenaline diverts energy from your immune system as it refocuses that resource on the perceived threat. The body is primed to take physical action, and when there is no activity, toxins and stress accumulate. The lowered immune system and accumulated waste contribute to illness.
Stop
The adage, "Work Smarter, Not Harder, " is one antidote. It should not be about how fast you move every day, but rather what important things you accomplished. If you find yourself speeding through every hour, and swerving from task to task, brake!
Pull off to the side of the road, and examine your day's schedule.
- What major activity did you hope to accomplish today?
- Have you begun to work on that yet?
- What is keeping you from completing it?
- How could you manage to change course?
Back Up
Reorganize your schedule to put the priorities first. If you are currently only working on looming deadlines, you may need help to redesign your processes to ensure that you do not overlook any item, that you have it planned out the project step-by-step in advance, and that you have budgeted adequate time to work on those steps.
Daily action files that contain folders for each day in the current month, followed by monthly files for future activities, are one way to accomplish this. You can achieve similar results with a software program for calendars and tasks, provided you also have a place for any papers related that an activity.
Once you have the major issues scheduled, crises can be averted and the adrenaline flow lessened. You can fill in other time slots with the shorter work items. As you develop your systems further and practice grouping activities to keep from quickly switching lanes, you can be up to four time more productive while moving at a slower speed. You feel in control.
Choose your daily pace:
HIGH SPEEDS vs. SPEED LIMIT
- Swerving across lanes vs. Single lane
- Detours vs. Defined route
- Slow progress vs. Steady progress
- Pumping adrenaline vs. Calm
- Dangerous & Unhealthy vs. Safe & Healthy
Denise Landers is the author of "Destination: Organization, A Week by Week Journey" and the owner of Key Organization Systems, Inc. (http://www.keyorganization.com). Based in Houston, she is a national speaker, trainer, consultant and coach providing conference sessions, corporate training, and individual assistance to improve daily work flow and time management skills. Subscribe to her monthly articles on productivity, time management, and organizing topics at http://www.keyorganization.com/time-management-articles.php.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
