Do not be deceived, multi-tasking will get you nowhere. The popularly acclaimed notion that multi-tasking makes one effective is deceptive. I repented in sackcloth when I first learnt this fact – One by one, only once, till the end. Well bad habits die hard so I am still struggling.
If you want to be really effective, then learn and practice the habit of tackling one thing at a time, focussing on only that one thing until you are done with it. Then move on to the next. Thus do not start anything that you are not ready to see it through to completion at a sitting. And when you start, avoid and resist every distraction. Until you are done, do not move to something else.
It is probably not every task that you can complete at a sitting/at-a-go because of the complexity. But set the target for the moment (i.e how far you desire to go with it) and ensure it is done before you move on.
One way I have realized I waste a lot of time is with my mails and messages. I have started to apply this principle in handling my mails or messages – SMS, Whatsapp, etc. I will not open a mail if I am not able/ready to read, reply and close it out at the first attempt. I add it to my To-do list and those that do not deserve my reply or direct attention, I never open them or I thrash them so they don’t become pre-occupations. And when I open it, I have to make a decision within 3 minutes – either delegate it, answer it or thrash it. And until that is done, I will not move on to the next.
It feels uncomfortable, maybe slow, maybe rigid but there is nothing like reflecting on your day at the end of the day and recounting all the tasks that you actually completed. Whether it is one or two, the feeling of having accomplished something is simply rewarding. Imagine doing it all week, every week, all year! Always remember – one by one, only one, till the end!
