A lot of us women look for how to get things done easier and faster, so we’ll have more time to do the things we love. We’d love for the vacuum cleaner to go around on its own, the dishes to do themselves, and the washing machine to dry and fold as well. The simple answer is to stop multi-tasking! Women are chronic multi-taskers, and we need to reprogram ourselves so we’re able to finish what we start sooner.
Multi-tasking actually makes everything take longer. If you’re multi-tasking, and you get distracted by a call, your kids, or something else, it’s very easy to lose track of what you were doing. We all have those distractions. But avoiding multi-tasking actually makes it lot easier to get back on track. You’re more in control of what you’re doing at any given time, and it’s easier to remember where you left off.
Start by turning off your notifications, set Skype to busy, close facebook and your email. If you have problems getting off Facebook (or similar websites), there’s a website called Keep Me Out. It keeps you off any site you set it to, for the amount of time you need. After the time is up, you’re let back in again.
How do you feel about doing it like this? Do you have other suggestions?
It actually took me some time to understand that multi tasking is not good at all… Checking email while setting the washing machine does not mean you save time! I agree: we need to slow down, set priorities and let the rest go.
Yes, we do
O gosh I would like to think that I do not need something like this but I may be in denial. Lol…But yes I agree that things are done much quicker if focused on…instead of having several incomplete task as you mentioned.
🙂 Maybe take a look at your day tomorrow, and see if you do or not 🙂 If you don’t, that’s great
I love the idea of Keep Me Out. The internet is my biggest distraction.
http://www.petitestyleonline.com
THanks 🙂 mine too
I find I’ll put the washing machine on then go to the study and completely forget to go back to the washing machine. I can’t hear it from the study to know when the cycle is finished.
Multi tasking is certainly not an effecient way to do things.
I tend to do that too 🙂 It’s way too easy to forget it. So I’ve been setting alarms to get back on that task. Since it takes an hour and a half for the cycle to complete, I just have to do something else in the meantime.
I agree! Multitasking is not productive. I still do it, but I’ve stopped doing it for important tasks that need my undivided attention. I’ve heard of “Keep Me Out” before but haven’t used it. Hopefully I can keep myself on task enough to not need it.
That’s my hope as well 🙂
Totally agree with you. I think multi-tasking is hugely over-rated and can actually make us very inefficient. I like to use the distraction-free screen options when I’m working online, to help me focus – the F11 key is very useful when you’re on the web, also the distraction free writing mode in the WordPress editor.
Those are some very good tips 🙂 Thanks
Hi Linda,
Oh yes…you are SO right 🙂
Multi-tasking is bad, and women are the biggest multi-taskers I think as compared to men because they have to see to many things and due to lack of time at hand, they try to get a lot done but turn up making life tougher for themselves.
I’m guilt of this too a lot of time because of my kid’s, family, writing projects, blog, comments and what all not! I do try to take up one thing at a time and most of the time it works well when you chalk out time for each thing so things remain organized that ways, but when things are really rushed up, you do tend to take up 2-3 tasks together to make things work! Nice to hear about KeepMeOut, though that’s not the problem with me, it’s the other offline tasks that I need to also see to 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend 🙂
Most of us are guilty of that 🙂 Have a great weekend Harleena 🙂
Keeping your focus is important. Yep, those distractions are temping. Thanks for a good reminder!
My pleasure 🙂
The only time I try to multi-task is when I am online and you are right, it isn’t very productive. I constantly have multiple windows open thinking I will just read that later and do that later and I constantly jump back and forth. I don’t get stuck on facebook or twitter but I do get stuck on other blogs and other tasks for my blog.
I usually have more than one tab up as well. It’s something I still need to work on.
Wow Linda I had no idea about that site! I might need to do that sometime!
Let me know how it works out for you 🙂
It’s true – multi-tasking really doesn’t work. It’s ironic considering how jobs want someone who multi-tasks. When I try to do a bunch of jobs at the same time, I can’t give it my full attention so I’m not really doing the best job possible.
Yes it is 🙂 The quality does suffer when you try to focus on multiple things.
Hi Linda,
Okay, I use to multi-task when I was in corporate American and I got a lot of stuff done. I’m also annoyingly organized and a planner.
Now that I work from home that doesn’t work so well. I can only focus on one task at a time but I don’t have issues with staying off of Facebook or closing my Skype. I focus on the task at hand and then when I’m done I move on to the next. You’ll get so much more stuff done that way.
Great message though and so true.
~Adrienne
Yes, you will get more done. 🙂 I used to multi-task even more when I worked computer support. Mainly because I didn’t like a lot of the tasks I had to do.
I was always working on two things at once until I made the decision to slow down and only do one project at a time.
Soon after I made that decision I noticed I was less stressful…so yes, slow down and remember we can only do one thing and be at one place at a time!
Great post Linda! Thanks for sharing it with us! Have a great weekend!
It does take away a lot of stress 🙂
Linda, I’m so guilty of multi-tasking. Except when I write and get in the “zone” I then turn all notifications off or away from me. I try to that sometimes when I’m working on other projects around the house as well. It is fun sometimes to not look at my phone for hours. Not easy but still refreshing!
It’s very refreshing 🙂
Dropping in from Corina’s I’m Every Woman Weekly!
Gasp! Give up multi-tasking? I don’t know if I can do that! But you are so right, we do get more things done quicker when we focus on just the task at hand. I will try!
😀 Trying is better than doing nothing
I am guilty of multi-tasking myself (who isn’t? 🙂 but I know when I focus on a specific task 100% the results are much much better. Something to work on more in the future 😉
I think we all have to work on that 🙂
I am so guilty of multi-tasking and I won’t even say how many tabs I have open at any given time. Sigh. Thank you for posting this. I am going to make a conscious effort to start and finish one task/job at a time.
My pleasure. I’m glad it got you thinking 🙂
This makes sense. I am easily distracted and I don’t have kids yet so I can imagine what it’ll be like when I do :/
Neither could I 🙂