You've received this newsletter because you subscribed to it using our double opt-in sign-up process. To unsubscribe, just click the link at the bottom of this email. Alternatively, if you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up here. Contents Multitaskers Beware! Change Management Developing "Character" Impact Analysis Mentoring Change Coaching A Final Note At Mind Tools... About Mind Tools Membership Corporate Services Tool Explorer Contact Us   Mind Tools Newsletter 156 - Jun 22, 2010 Multitaskers Beware! Text messages. Instant messages. Email on the move. Lunch on the go. The incentive and opportunity to multitask has never been greater. Surely it makes sense to juggle multiple tasks to make the most of our precious time. Or does it? If you, like many people, multitask to boost your productivity, today's article challenges you to think again. In it, find out how multitasking can have quite the opposite effect, and learn other ways to organize your tasks, so that you can work in a more productive and accurate way. We also have a new quiz that asks the question "How Good Are Your Change Management Skills?" (If you want to learn more about change management, the topic is in the spotlight at the Mind Tools Career Excellence Club this week.) Enjoy the articles! James Manktelow and Rachel Thompson MindTools.com - Essential skills for an excellent career! Featured Resources at Mind Tools How Good Are Your Change Management Skills? All Readers How effective are you at planning and implementing change? Take our quiz to find out which change management skills you need to develop. All Readers' Skill-Builder Multitasking Can It Help You Get More Done? All Readers Multitasking can actually reduce your efficiency. Find out how to get out of the multitasking habit. All Readers' Skill-Builder   ... And from the Career Excellence Club Developing "Character" Learning How to Stand Your Ground Club Members We all need to stand our ground sometimes. Find out what character is, and learn how to develop and defend it. All Members' Skill-Builder Impact Analysis Identifying the Full Consequences of Change Club Members Changes rarely happen in isolation. Learn how to analyze the impact of proposed changes systematically and avoid unpleasant surprises. All Members' Featured Favorite Mentoring Skills Using Your Knowledge and Experience to Help Others Club Members Learn what makes a good mentor, and find out how you can develop your mentoring skills. All Members' Skill-Builder Time Management Audit Club Members Do you ever feel there aren't enough hours in the day? If so, complete this time audit so that you can stop waging a war against time and learn how to get it working for you! All Members' Bite-Sized Training™ Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath Club Members If you've ever tried to make a significant change, then you know how hard it can be. "Switch" shows you how to use your mind to make change easier - at work, and at home. Premium Members' Book Insight Coaching Through Change Helping People Embrace Change Club Members Coaching is useful for helping people understand the change that's happening within an organization. Find out how you can coach this way. All Members' Coaching Clinic Your Career Game, with Nate Bennett Club Members In our interview with Nate Bennett, find out how applying game theory to your career can help you achieve your goals. Premium Members' Expert Interview Editors' Choice Article Multitasking Can It Help You Get More Done? You're on the phone with a supplier, while quietly typing up notes about your previous phone call. As soon as you hang up, a colleague sends you an instant message, which you read over while dialing your manager's extension number. Then, during your phone conversation with her, you start updating your week's to-do list. To boost our productivity, many of us multitask like this to some degree. And, in a world where the pace of life is often frantic, people who can multitask are typically seen as efficient and effective. After all, don't we get more done when we do more than one thing at a time? Is multitasking costing you time?. ©iStockphoto/juliedeleseleuc Actually, multitasking often doesn't make us as productive as we think. What's more, it's likely that the quality of our work is worse when we multitask. In fact, it could actually be costing us time instead of creating it. In this article we'll examine the issues associated with multitasking, and look at why we shouldn't do it. We'll also look at some suggestions to help you get out of the multitasking habit. Multitasking and the Myth of Productivity Many people have studied multitasking over the last decade, and most of them have come to the same conclusion: Multitasking doesn't make us more productive! Several studies have found that multitasking can actually result in us wasting between 20 and 40 percent of our time, depending on what we're trying to do. Among these studies is the frequently quoted article, "Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching," published in 2001 in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Experimental Psychology. The simple reason that multitasking doesn't work is because we can't actually focus on more than one task at a time. But we think we can - so we multitask to try and get more done. Imagine trying to talk to someone and write an email at the same time. Both of these tasks involve communication. You can't speak to someone and write a really clear and focused email at the same time. The tasks are too conflicting - your mind gets overloaded as you try to switch between the two tasks. Now think about listening to someone as you try to write an email. These two tasks are a bit easier to do together because they involve different skills. But your attention to the person will fade in and out as you're writing. You simply can't fully focus on both things at once. The biggest problem with multitasking is that it can lower the quality of our work - we try to do two or more things at once, and the result is that we do everything less well than if we focused properly on each task in turn. When we switch tasks, our minds must reorient to cope with the new information. If we do this rapidly, like when we're multitasking, we simply can't devote our full concentration and focus to every switch. So the quality of our work suffers. The more complex or technical the tasks we're switching between, the bigger the drop in quality is likely to be. For instance, it would be almost impossible to write a good-quality presentation while having an emotionally charged conversation with a co-worker! Another major downside to multitasking is the effect it has on our stress levels. Dealing with multiple things at once makes us feel overwhelmed, drained, and frazzled. On the other hand, think of how satisfied you feel when you devote your full attention to one task. You're able to focus, and you'll probably finish it feeling as if you've not only completed something, but done it well. This is called being in flow, and it's a skill that can be developed with some practice. Spotting the Multitasking Tendency It can be hard to identify when you're multitasking. But there are a few key indicators you can look for: If you have several pages or tabs open on your computer, then you're probably multitasking. The same goes for your desk - if you have several folders or papers out that you're working on, you may well be multitasking. Multitasking is more likely when you're working on a project or task you're not excited about. For instance, conducting a spreadsheet analysis might be an unwelcome task, so you might frequently check your email or do some research on a new assignment in order to lessen the pain of the current task. Frequent interruptions can also cause you to multitask. For instance, you might be writing your department's budget when a colleague comes into your office with a question for you. You then carry on trying to tinker with the budget as you answer their question. How to Stop Multitasking If we want to improve the quality of our work, lower our stress levels, and become more efficient, then we need get out of the multitasking habit. Here are some suggestions to help you cut back on multitasking: Plan your day in blocks. Set specific times for returning calls, answering emails, and doing research. Manage your interruptions. Keep a log showing who interrupts you the most, and how urgent the requests are. Once you've compiled a week's worth of interruptions, politely but assertively approach your colleagues with a view to managing and reducing their interruptions. Learn how to improve your concentration so that you can focus properly on one task at a time. Doing this may feel awkward at first if you frequently multitask. But you'll be surprised at how much you get done just by concentrating on one thing at a time. Every time you go to check your email or take a call when you're actually supposed to be doing something else, take a deep breath and resist the urge. Focus your attention back to what you're supposed to be doing. If you get an audible or visual alert when emails come in, turn this off. This can help you avoid the temptation to check your inbox whenever you get new mail. Whenever you find yourself multitasking, stop. Take five minutes to sit quietly at your desk with your eyes closed. Even short breaks like this can refocus your mind, lower your stress levels, and improve your concentration. Plus it can give your brain a welcome break during a hectic day. There will be times when something urgent comes up and you can't avoid interruptions. But instead of trying to multitask through these, stop and make a note of where you left your current task. Record any thoughts you had about how to move forward. Then deal with the immediate problem, before going back to what you were doing. This way you'll be able to handle both tasks well, and you'll leave yourself with some clues to help you restart the original task more quickly. If you find your mind wandering when you should be focusing on something else, you need to guide your thoughts back to what you are doing by putting yourself in the moment. For example, you might be sitting in an important team meeting, but thinking about a speech you'll be giving soon. Tell yourself, "I am in this meeting, and need to focus on what I'm learning here." Often, acknowledging the moment can help keep you focused. If you'd like to learn more about the drawbacks of multitasking, and how to get better at managing your time, check out our Expert Interview with Dave Crenshaw, The Myth of Multitasking (Premium Members). Key Points: Many of us think that multitasking is the best way to get through the demands of our working day. This is a myth! The reality is that multitasking lowers the quality of our work, reduces our ability to focus, and can actually cost us time. It's important to stop multitasking as soon as you realize you're doing it. Schedule your day into blocks of time, try to minimize and manage interruptions, and work on improving your concentration. Controlling your tendency to multitask could have surprising benefits. You probably find that you get more done, feel less stress, and have more energy at the end of the day. A Final Note from James Next time you're juggling phone messages and emails whilst preparing for a meeting, think about whether your multitasking really is the most effective approach. The next newsletter will be with you in two weeks' time, when we look at selling skills for people who aren't in sales (this is a must-read - we all need to sell to some extent). We also look at "Managing in India", and learn how to avoid some of the mistakes that Western managers can make all too easily! Until then, have an excellent and productive two weeks! James Manktelow email us Mind Tools Essential Skills for an Excellent Career! Privacy Policy: Mind Tools will treat your email address with complete respect and will not circulate it to any third party. If you are not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you would like to be one, you can sign up at http://www.mindtools.com/subscribe.htm If you have enjoyed this issue, please do email it on to your friends and co-workers. 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