INTRODUCTION
MYTH
Multitasking leads to success.
REALITY
Multitasking leads to mistakes.
You would not believe how difficult it is to be simple and clear. People are afraid that they may be seen as a simpleton. In reality, just the opposite is true.
JACK WELCH
Evelyn was excited about an essay she had written for a class she was taking. She asked if she could read it to me.
“Sure! I’d love to hear it!” Then I glanced down at my iPhone. Big mistake.
I assumed she’d need a moment to retrieve her essay, and I had been waiting all day to hear the results of a recently submitted project proposal. There was an email from the prospect.
Evelyn began to read, but by now I was far away.
“Wait!” I said. Evelyn stopped.
My glance at the email had revealed that my company’s proposal was not selected for the contract on which I had spent the better part of a week. “Oh no!” I wailed. “That is ridiculous! They totally blew it!”
By now Evelyn couldn’t hide her annoyance. “Never mind.”
I begged forgiveness, tossed my iPhone facedown on the table, and convinced her to start reading her essay to me all over again.
From this, I realized two basic facts:
1. I couldn’t be a truly present listener with my attention split between Evelyn’s essay and the disappointing news I had to share tomorrow with my colleagues.
2. When visiting with a friend in the evening, it is absolutely unnecessary to check on the results of a work proposal.
Let’s Get It Started
Do you ever look at the clock upon the day’s end and wonder where the time went? Are you nonstop busy yet lack a sense of accomplishment? Does your to-do list grow rather than shrink, despite your best efforts?
Please say it’s not just me.
In my research for a book about singletasking, I spoke with hundreds of people. The majority reacted along the lines of “I need that!” Or alternatively, “My coworker/spouse/friend/boss/employee needs that!” Yet the idea of relinquishing multitasking turns out to be surprisingly controversial. The intensity of responses reminded me of how certain folks get revved up over politics or religion. Some people were incensed, refusing to accept that singletasking is remotely plausible. Multitasking is an ingrained cultural expectation, woven into the fabric of our times.
Consider the following response to my suggestion that a credible and superior alternative to multitasking exists: “I like the idea of singletasking but I’m afraid it’s not for me. Frankly, singletasking sounds like a luxury, and not one that people in business can generally afford. Does it sound nice to focus on one thing at a time? Sure! Would I have time to sleep? I’m doubtful. Please prove me wrong!”
Got it. I will. I like a challenge.
Singletasking is not a luxury; it is a necessity. You can accomplish far more doing one thing at a time, plus enjoy sleep. In fact, increased restorative time is both an outcome of—and a contributor to—a singletasked life.
My work is further fueled by comments such as, “I multi-task all the time. I have to. I wouldn’t be able to get anything done otherwise. It is impossible to function without it.”
Offering an alternative to the societal norm has never been easy. Galileo lived in an era when the Earth was widely considered to be the center of the universe. He challenged this belief, boldly attesting that the planets—Earth included—rotate around the sun. He was consequently investigated by the Roman Inquisition, found guilty of heresy, and placed under house arrest. Yikes.
That multitasking has a real following is quite the understatement. When I say it is an illusion—well, let’s face it, that’s consultant heresy. I’ll never work in this town again!
When mavericks go against the grain, two components have to be in place. First, we have to really, really believe in what we espouse. Second, we cannot stop ourselves from sharing what we know to be true.
And so, my friends, I present to you the Singletasking Principle:
Get more done, one thing at a time.
Recall a time you were counting something—money, items, your pulse, or accolades—lost your train of thought, and had to start again. There are two likely reasons you lost count. One is internal: your mind wandered. The second is that an external stimulus distracted you.
The former demonstrates how an unruly mind can derail even a simple task. The latter shows how succumbing to external distractions wastes, rather than saves, time. Either way, an interruption scrambled your focus, decreasing your productivity. You’ll now need to start all over on your singularly important job of counting.
This book provides a system with versatile tools to help you restore your attention to what matters most. You will learn how to manage your mind, your environment, and all those pesky people who come between you and your potential. You will gain insights that enable you to consistently finish what you begin. By immersing yourself in one task at a time, one moment at a time, you’ll accomplish more while enjoying deeper, stronger relationships.
What about distractions? You’ll learn how to mitigate disruptions originating in your mind as well as those meandering around your workplace.
Go ahead; let free a sigh of relief.
Welcome to Singletasking
The themes of this book are presented in three primary sections:
Part 1 provides the groundwork. This section debunks multitasking as a viable solution to a hectic life, introduces singletasking as the antidote to our frenetic world, provides a self-assessment to determine your current approach to tasks, and explains how we got into this predicament.
Part 2 offers techniques on how to guide our thoughts, workplace, and relationships. Here we deep dive into applying the singletasking definition provided in the preface—managing yourself and your environment.
Part 3 teaches you how to rejuvenate, improve home life, and live in a calmer, happier way. This section expands the Singletasking Principle beyond the workplace.
Each component influences the others. When you refine your thought process, your relationships are positively impacted. When you take control of your environment, the day flows more smoothly. And so on. Therefore, key elements are interwoven throughout the sections.
It Can’t Be Real … Can It?
Perhaps singletasking seems a tad unrealistic. Such a concept may appear charming, yet you have more on your plate than I could possibly imagine!
Except that I’m also living that kind of life, and all the methods in this book have been created and tested by real people and really work.
When I tell you that multitasking absolutely backfires, this is not some crackerjack opinion that I’ve conjured. The assertions in this book are backed up by a combination of neuroscience, globally conducted research, and cross-disciplinary studies.
Here’s an amuse-bouche: switching focus lowers productivity while increasing the number of hours required to complete tasks. Researchers at Harvard University found that the most productive employees change focus relatively few times, whereas frenetic workers switch focus up to five hundred times a day.
In short, habitually switching between tasks correlates with poor productivity.1
Additionally, multitaskers are more susceptible than singletaskers to interference (sacrificing performance on a primary task to let in other sources of information), less effective at suppressing activation of irrelevant tasks, and slower to focus. What researchers have dubbed “heavy media multitasking” correlates with high susceptibility to distraction and a poor ability to filter stimuli.
Just Do It!
Joining the ranks of the highly productive and efficient does not require a societal shift or a global reconfiguration. You can make a change all on your own. Simply practice the accessible techniques offered here and you will learn how to consistently direct your attention to one task at a time.
I understand that temptations run high to surrender to multitasking. I have one teeny question: How’s it working for you so far? And some follow-up questions, Your Honor: Does being distracted, unfocused, and scattered make you more productive, calm, and relaxed? How do you like it when other people interrupt, seem to half-listen, or ask you to repeat what you just said? And do you check messages when in meetings, read emails when on the phone, or lack discipline when you need to concentrate?
This book will teach you to be more productive, immerse yourself in tasks, and reduce distractions. This is a book that teaches you—reminds you—how to be here, now; how to live in a state of creative flow; how to stop the madness.
Singletasking will change the quality of your life. Take the plunge. Commit!
You can do it.