One of the big
buzz words of the last ten years is "Multi-Tasking." I'm sure
you've heard people say they're multi-tasking. Or perhaps you've
prided yourself on being a multi-tasker. I've even seen people
ask for this quality in formal job descriptions.
But there is no multi-tasking. People cannot
multi-task.
We get this term from the world of computers. Despite the fact
that we've used this term for almost two decades, computers are
just now being designed so they can do more than one task as one
time. So, you see, even computers are not really multi-tasking.
A computer with one processor can only do one thing at a time.
Computers have the wonderful facility of being very fast and
being able to change tasks very quickly. So, when it looks
like you are word processing and browsing the internet and
editing a picture all at the same time, the computer is not
really multi-tasking.
Computers operate by time slicing. Time slicing consists
of giving a few milliseconds to one task, then a few to the
next, then a few to the next. Because computers can change tasks
so quickly, they appear to be doing two things at once. But in
reality there is no multi-tasking.
You cannot multi-task either.
Sometimes we are engaged in several actions as the same time,
but we cannot actually do them all at the same time. And, as
humans are slow to change from one task to another, it is
clearly visible that we have to stop doing one thing and start
doing another.
No matter how quickly you switch tasks, you can never give your
attention to two activities at the same time. You can
time-slice. But your time slicing has limited effectiveness.
The most important point for you to remember when you try to
time-slice is that it reduces your overall effectiveness.
We fool ourselves into believing that we are being more
productive (or that other people are more productive) when we
multi-task. In reality, you have split your attention between
several tasks and therefore reduced your ability to focus on
each task.
The more you focus on the task at hand, the more effective you
will be. If you cloud your mind by trying to think about two or
three things simultaneously, you will be less effective at each
of them.
When writing a letter, for example, you should focus all of your
attention on the letter. You will write faster, write more
clearly, address the topic more effectively, and be done sooner
than if you force your mind to switch back and forth between the
letter and something else.
Sometimes we engage in a task but find it difficult.
Writing is a good example. When the words don't come, we engage
in something else. This is obviously the wrong thing to do. The
words won't come until you give them your attention and focus on
the writing. When you engage in something else, you make the
writing less focused and less effective. The same is true for
every other activity.
There are some activities that are particularly well suited for
time slicing. Other activities can be organized around effective
time slicing. Cooking is a great example of time slicing. You
might put a roast in the oven and then, while it cooks, start
preparing the vegetables. People who are very well organized and
good at changing their focus can become great cooks and prepare
seven courses with perfect timing.
I can barbeque hot dogs.
You can become efficient at time slicing. But never divide
your focus.
You can
become efficient at time slicing. But never divide your
focus.
You must
develop the habit of discerning your most important task and
focusing on that task until it is complete (or at a logical
stopping point such as completing a draft that needs review).
Then decide on your next most important task and focus all of
your attention on that task until it is complete.
We have gone so far down the road of believing in multi-tasking
that most of us have never developed the habit of focusing our
attention on one thing at a time. Your job may require you to
time-slice, but you must think of it in those terms. Do not fool
yourself into believing that you can do two things at once. The
best you can do is to perform a poor job on two or three
projects.
If you try to multi-task you will divide your focus and the
quality of your thinking will diminish.
Begin today. Develop the habit of focusing all your attention on
one thing at a time. You'll be amazed at how efficient you will
become.
When you're excellent at focusing on one thing at a time, then
you can begin training yourself to time-slice effectively--that
is, switching from one task to another. But once you switch, you
must give all of your focus to the new task. If you try to think
about two things at once or do two things at once, you will do
neither of them well.
So-called Multi-Tasking is the root of many errors, poor
workmanship, and stress. Do not ask yourself to do two things at
once. And don't ask others to do it either.
|
"The
Secret of Success is
Consistency of Purpose."
-- Benjamin Disraeli |
### RFS ###
