There are some really great tips on this photo but I have another one to add to it.
I used to pride myself on being a multi-tasker. The more the merrier when it came to over loading my already too full plate. The problem was I started to notice that my tasks weren’t getting done to my full capability and it started to really cause me stress.
That is until I learned of something that would totally change my life. Drumroll….MONO-TASKING! It’s funny because when I first heard about it I said out loud to myself, “what the heck is that?” (FYI, I hold frequent conversations out loud with myself which I’ve come to accept as totally normal.)
The idea of mono-tasking or single-tasking, is so simple it’s silly, yet the fact that I didn’t know what it was just shows how much of a multi-tasker I am. It’s the practice of dedicating oneself to a given task and minimizing potential interruptions until the task is completed or a significant period of time has elapsed. The practice contrasts with multitasking, which is the disputed ability to divide one’s focus among multiple tasks.
This was life changing for me because it helped me focus on one thing at a time so I could put forth my best effort and knock it out without distraction. So many times I would sit down and start something, then be pulled in another direction. Not while I’m mono-tasking. Sometimes I set a timer for 20 minutes and dedicate that certain amount of time to my task. Other times, I won’t stop until it’s done but I ALWAYS keep my phone off so there are no interruptions.
Another thing that helped me was turning off notifications from all social media so that I’m not hearing the pinging all day. Believe me, sometimes it feels like it doesn’t stop. I keep my room quiet, play some classical music and I get to my task.
My most recent one was deleting over 2,000 email that were haunting me. I focused on getting that and only that done and BOOM, success! I felt amazing after that and have kept up with it ever since.
Whatever works for you, go find it, so you can be your most productive self. To me nothing feels better than setting a goal and accomplishing it!
Good luck to you!
xo Kasi