I’m guilty of trying to multi-task so many things that I sometimes end up not hearing people as they are talking to me. I always thought multi-tasking was a good thing, but now I’m thinking that there is an art to single tasking.
We are all guilty of trying to do too many things at once, and in some cases, we end up doing a mediocre job on the tasks we were working on. So should you mute-task or single task?
In my last employee evaluation, my supervisor praised my ability to multi-task, and commented on how I could complete all of my tasks with little to no errors. I think I know how many tasks I can reasonably handle at one time; besides, I don’t want to mess something up and have to re-do a task. I like to get the job done right the first time.
But not everyone is like me. Not everyone can multi-task. Not everyone can talk on the phone, look something up on the computer, and silently communicate with a co-worker – all at the same time. Some people can only handle one task at a time.
Jo Chunyan, an Intuition Coach and Designer, came up with these 13 reminders for single tasking.
These 13 reminders are great, even for multi-taskers like myself. So looking over thes reminders, I realized that I am also a single tasker.
#3 – “Watch a movie from start to finish without distractions.” This is not hard for me because I really love movies. I don’t want to miss anything, and that includes the previews before the movie.
#6 – “Capture to dos in a notebook instead of multi-tasking.” I have a weekly planner that I sit down with every Sunday evening and write down my to-do list. I keep it handy and check in with it every evening to mark off the items I accomplish.
#7 – “Have a morning ritual.” By establishing a routine in the morning, my mind has time to focus on doing one thing at a time. I can’t wash my hair and shave my legs simultaneously, but I can condition my hair and shave my legs.
#12 – “Slow down your evening with a night ritual.” Every night, before I crawl into bed, I sit on the edge of my side of the bed and wash my face with a facial cleansing wipe. Then I apply either Josie Maran’s argon oil or an Algenist moisturizer. Slowing down before bedtime is a ritual that not only lets me take care of my skin, but lets me reflect on my day and talk with my husband.
Are you a multi-tasker or a single tasker?
Yours Truly,
Vanessa
