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THIS WEEK
Why Multi-tasking Sucks!
ALSO IN THIS EDITION
This week we have a guest article from my friend and colleague Donna-Marie Coggins. Donna-Marie is someone who achieves more in an hour than most people do in a week. Some days I just sit back and watch in awe, so I asked her to share her thoughts on multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking – it sounds like such a productive word, doesn’t it?
A lot of people think that it's good to multi-task. It somehow seems more productive. After all, you are getting more done in the same amount of time … or are you?
Often what happens is you do more things, but you complete less. Evidence is showing that multi-tasking is not always good for success in small business. When it really counts, you are better off focusing in on one thing and getting that done before you move on to the next.
 The Time-Eater
More and more studies are showing that multi-tasking significantly cuts into the amount of time it takes to accomplish a set of tasks. While it may seem like you are doing more because you are attending to more projects or responsibilities, in actuality it is taking more time to do each one (as opposed to the amount of time it would take if you were not constantly switching gears and just attended to one task through to completion). Research shows that by multi-tasking your way through tasks that require cognitive thought it takes twice as long for each project as it would if you were to do each job in sequence. Multiple accomplishments seem efficient, but in reality they are exactly the opposite.
The Quality Stealer
Not only that, but by dividing your attentions and continuously switching mental gears you are stealing from the quality of the tasks you do accomplish. When you multi-task, experts say that you lack a level of connection to the project that you would have if you were to concentrate solely on that one task – which does seem to make sense.
Not only that, but that loss of focus increases mistakes, which increases the time that must be spent on producing a clean product or project, and increases the time that needs to be devoted to correcting those mistakes. This is, in part, why multi-tasking is such as time-stealer.
Prioritising And A Little Multi-Task Indulgence
It is becoming increasingly clear as multi-tasking is further studied that the most efficient way to work is to prioritise goals and projects, and dedicate time and attention to each, completing tasks completely. It's a faster way to produce a high-quality result, and a better way to approach time management.
Does all this mean that multi-tasking is always bad?
Not necessarily, say the experts. Apparently, the less cognitive thinking and awareness that a task requires the better candidate for multi-tasking it may be. So while answering emails and writing a sales report at the same time is not encouraged, it can be okay to clean the office windows as you chat casually with a business associate.
But when it counts by and large multi-tasking in business is more counter-productive than anything, and if you are a staunch multi-tasker, it is time to reevaluate your true level of productivity.
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 Donna-Marie Coggins is an award-winning business woman, author and online business mentor, training almost two thousand business owners globally.
You can download the electronic version of her latest book - Multi-Tasking Sucks! The High-Achiever's Guide To Squeezing The Most Out Of Every Second.
It's packed full of tips, tools and resources that will help increase productivity and efficiency in your business, with lots of ways for you to work smarter, not harder. And best of all, it's free!
Multi-Tasking Sucks! The High-Achiever's Guide To Squeezing The Most Out Of Every Second
| HR Tip of the Week: Do you track time or results? |
This is one of the oldest challenges for managers? Should you be tracking time spent on a task or the results delivered? When I first started in work over 30 years ago I can still remember "the boss" standing by the sign on book each morning, ready to put a red pen line under the sign ons of people who were late by a few minutes.
Yes, in some cases you need people to be physically present. I still remember watching ony of the pharmacies I worked with one morning. There were over 20 methodone clients lined up waiting for their dose. The Pharmacist was 5 minutes late in opening the doors and the assistant still hadn't turned up. It could very easily have turned very dangerous and nasty.
In other cases, you really are looking for the results that person achieved. Did they produce superb quality results in a fast time, or were they as slow as a wet week and their quality was more than a tad average? What you focus on and measure gets done - so if you pay for time, then guess what happens? Work expands to fill the time sheets.
I am a big supporter of payment for results - rather than time on the clock. Of course this raises a raft of industrial challenges in workplaces as most IR systems still have embedded time and wages records. but with enough good will and discussion with your team you can usually find a solution that meets the needs of "the system" as well as helping you to achieve the results you are looking for.
 Given my love of saving time, our Instant HR Policies & Procedures is the ultimate timesaver. It contains all the key employee policies and procedures a business needs in easy to edit Word form.
And just in the past week it has undergone a major review by QDT documentation systems to make it even easier to update and format using Word.
... you have covered everything and it was very easy to adapt to our Company culture - also having an Australian focus was very useful as most of the other online versions available are US law based, although ironically I actually bought it for our US office and adapted it but have since used it for our Australian office as well.
Kristine Inkster
Heart Harmony's Instant HR Policies & Procedures is invaluable for small businesses - it is professional, extensive, and immediately accessible. One "find & replace" action was all that was required to create a working draft for our company, and then it was extremely easy to edit to fit our particular situation. It turns a nightmare of documentation requirements into a dream. Thanks Ingrid!
Dianna Blake
Wimmer Water Solutions
Why don't you tick another thing off your "to do" list for 2009 and write your employee procedure manual using our Instant HR Policies & Procedures.
Who do you got to so you can get a "whack on the side of the head?" One of the people I regularly read is Alan Weiss and in this post I share why.
exuberantly yours
Ingrid
Heart Harmony
PS: Happy 80th Birthday Dad!
Legal stuff: This newsletter is intended only a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertorial information, which means I may receive financial compensation for the products I recommend. But - unless I know and trust the product, I will not recommend it.
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