How to avoid multitasking in a day to day routine life?

What is multitasking?

• Multitasking is a practice of handling several different tasks at the same time.
• In today’s competitive world it is become necessary to accomplish the assigned task as early as possible. It does not mean that it is necessary to become a multitasker.
• Due to advancement in technology, many believe that multitasking is easy to implement and it is a required skill.
• But the fact is multitasking is actually a harmful habit.

Why avoid multitasking?

• Due to multitasking, it is possible that you will finish all the assigned tasks but you will lower the quality required.
• The time required to finish all the tasks makes multitasking very inefficient.
• It divides a person’s concentration and energy which in turns lowers the required attention.
• Multitasking may cause stress and anxiety.
• You may kill your creativity due to multitasking.

Steps to avoid multitasking

1. Change your mindset

• If you have a mind set that multitasking works well then you need to change your mind set.
• Don’t make your job a alphabet soup.
• If you are handling more task at the same time then the probability of doing mistake will also increase.
• Be aware of your casual habits that will lead to multitasking.

2. Plan your day

• You need to plan your day before having a start. First, make to-do-list.
• You need to prioritize your work.
• After prioritization, you need to schedule your work.
• Make sure that you should start early. Because when you get a good start you will feel fresh to continue.
• End your day with to-do-list and note down the task completed.

3. Finish before you start

• Make a habit of doing one thing at a time.
• Do not start the new task unless and until you have finished the previous one.
• Don’t allow a small task to interrupt the big one.
• This will help you to keep yourself organized.

4. Be present and focused

• Do not let your past or future dominate over the present.
• Always focus on the current task and don’t let other distractions to interrupt in.
• Surround yourself with positive people who inspire and encourage you.

5. Manage distractions

• Small tasks like checking email, managing phone calls, etc. distract a lot. Therefore you need to take out some time to manage these things.
• During the distraction, our mind is not able to retain the new information.
• Small distraction may lead to a big error like missing deadlines.
• The best way to avoid distraction is, do not hesitate in saying ‘NO’.
• You may also appoint one person who can take care of these small tasks.

QUICK LINKS

• Research study on multitasking by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
• Challenges in Time Management
• Goal Setting: How to be more effective?