Laura James

Most people who consider themselves to be able to handle a lot of projects at once, such as being able to “multi-task,” often pat themselves on the back for covering so many bases at once. Many people believe this makes sense. After all, a heavy workload and the ability to get numerous things done a time, does not seem to deter a seasoned “multi-tasker.”

For those with this mindset, it may be time to rethink your strategy. Please note the following report from Karen Richardson of Your Workplace, which is a Canadian publication:

“Multi-tasking has become a well-recognized attribute in the workforce and the new norm—almost to the point where we now brag about our ability to juggle two or more things at once. Many job ads now ask for the standard prerequisite: “Efficient multi-tasker—able to juggle multiple projects and priorities under short deadlines”. Yet the relentless, almost contagious need to juggle more than one thing at a time can drain an employee’s time, energy and can lead to further frustration and stress in the workplace, says Carolin Rekar Munro, Associate Professor of Leadership and Human Resource Management at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia.

Research shows that neurologically, we are single-activity beings. A recent study in the scientific journal Neuron suggests that while we can train our brains to work faster as we juggle, we never actually manage to do more than one thing at a time.

“We are not wired, from a brain perspective, to handle more than one task at a time. So the term multi-tasking is a bit of a misnomer,” says Professor Rekar Munro. “In reality what we’re focusing on is an ability to juggle many things, but the key is we expediently switch from one task to the other.” The brain has difficulty consciously processing two complex streams of information simultaneously, such as two people talking at once, and some of the information inevitably gets lost, experts say.”

I find I actually accomplish more when I handle one task at a time. Basically, it is akin to taking a piece of paper from my “in basket,” completing it, and putting it into my “out basket.” When I bake with my children, we add one ingredient at a time. To some, it may seem simplistic, but countless things in our lives are learned a step a time.  In turn, it makes sense to handle one thing, or one task, at a time.  I have noticed that when I am working on a business project, such as writing a blog post, if I have the television on, for example, it takes me longer to think about what to write and to actually write something.   So, it’s difficult to multi-task when just two factors are competing for my attention. It did not take me long to figure this out.  I turn off the television during my work day. As a result, I get a lot more done and things get done faster and with less mistakes. Nothing glamorous, it’s but really effective.

There’s a song called “Put One Foot In Front Of The Other,” which is from the animated Christmas classic Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. This spells out what needs to be accomplished and shows the joy in doing so…one step at a time.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

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