Once, when I was getting inside the car and asked my friend to be on hold, he said “Even after working in a BPO, how can you not, multitask”. At that time I didn’t know about Single Tasking Vs Multitasking and doubted my ability.
Many of you might think- “what is the difference between single-tasking and multitasking”?
In simple terms, when you multi-task, you are trying to do many things together- you might be working back to back on various things like searching for the right keywords for search engine optimization, social media engagement, cooking simultaneously. We salute the multitasking person as we feel that achieve much more
There is an unending debate of single tasking vs multi tasking.
My unbiased opinion about the multi task person & single tasking people would be- there are advantages and disadvantages of both single-tasking and multi-tasking. But, if you want to develop laser focus, you need to learn how to do single-tasking.
As I said before, we live in a society where being a multitasking person is considered efficient. We feel so proud to tell others that we are multi-taskers. Due to the age-old deeply ingrained societal thought process, we feel that a multitasking person is superior and more hard working which is not always true.
Just to prove our efficiency to others, we do more and more. But, the realization is important that we can’t do ten things at a time even if we want to. We can only do them one by one.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Will Durant
Many of us don’t know the meaning of focus. On one hand, individuals want to develop laser-like focus but on the other, also want to become superhuman and juggle between a hundred tasks. This gives them false satisfaction that they have achieved more in less time.
But, the truth is- multi-taskers often get stressed out, much more than single-taskers.
In this blog, we are going to throw light on both sides of the table for Single Tasking vs Multitasking. I advocate my vote towards single-tasking over multi task person. So I will be sharing few benefits of single tasking people.
Let’s discuss this highly opinionated topic in more detail. Keep reading further, as I will also share my personal and three other popular methods to increase focus.
I recently attended Geetika Saigal’s course on self-growth and learned that we have to build larger focus along with laser focus. The larger focus in simple terms means, to look at things with a bigger picture.
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I will give you my reasons why single-tasking is better than multi-taking?
Single-Tasking Improves Productivity
The biggest motive of enhanced focus is to boost productivity. The human brain is not designed for multitasking. The researchers claim that humans are only able to concentrate 40% on a particular task when they multi-task. Every time you switch to another task; it takes some time to focus on that task again.
Single-Tasking Improves Communication
How many times did you interrupt your friend while he/she was speaking?
And said “Huh”, say again! Sorry was not listening
I think we all are guilty of this. This happens because you were probably busy scrolling your social media feed while your friend was sharing her office incident with you. Practicing single-tasking makes a thoughtful, considerate, and present individual.
Also Read: Self Development Skills – Why Should You Talk Less & Listen More?
Improves Our Attention Span
One of the biggest things disappearing from our lives is- ATTENTION SPAN. How many times do we hear that people’s attention span is decreasing.
People may feel that it is something to be proud of. But, it actually means that our ability to focus on things is getting lowered by each day. Single-tasking practices can help you to develop your attention span.
To strengthen the habit of single-tasking, I follow a strategy that I wish to share with you.
Whenever I have to complete any task- book reading, cleaning, writing a blog, editing video, meditation, etc. I follow this method and this helps me a lot to complete the task.
Let me share a real-life example of single tasking person over multi task person!
If I have to write a blog, I set the timer on the mobile for 1 hour, put the phone completely on silent or airplane mode, sit in a quiet plan and complete the task.
If I have not completed the task, then I take a 10-15 minutes’ break, set the timer again for some time, and finish the work.
I may not keep the phone on silent for tasks like exercising or cooking but the timer is my forever go-to best friend.
As mentioned above, I would also share three strategies to increase focus that I learned through Geetika Saigal’s course.
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3 strategies to increase focus
First Method – Eisenhower’s Strategy
- Urgent and important (tasks you will do immediately).
- Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later).
- Urgent, but not important (tasks you will delegate to someone else)
- Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate).
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Second Method – Ivy Lee Strategy
Write down six imp tasks that you need to finish that day and prioritize them like 1st (most imp), 2nd, and so on.
Finish 1st task then the 2nd, and in case you are unable to finish all the six tasks on that day but have completed the first three tasks. Then the next day starts with the previous day’s three remaining tasks and three more new tasks.
Third Method – Warren Buffet’s 5/25 Rule
Make a list of 25 career goals. Circle the top 5 of them. These are the top 5 things you need to focus on to grow (the remaining 20 things- avoid at all cost list) can be eliminated.
Eliminating the remaining 20 things is very difficult coz it’s equally imp but sometimes to get the great things, we need to leave the good things.
Ending– I hope you enjoyed this article and you would try to practice single-tasking if you’re a multi-tasker person. Do try these methods to improve your focus and share your thoughts and experiences in the comment box below.
Featured Image Courtesy: powerofpositivity.com
