As an introvert, do you struggle to get things done?
You may feel like you don't have enough time in the day to get everything done, so you end up multitasking to try to be more effective.
I'm here to tell you to stop multitasking and start to focus on one thing at a time. You'll get things done faster and be more effective at whatever you're trying to do. Multitasking doesn't save you time but instead makes more work, makes you less effective, and takes longer.
Listen to this podcast episode and learn how to be more efficient WITHOUT multitasking.
Books referenced in this podcast:
John Medina - Brain Rules
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Contact the Host of the Quiet and Strong Podcast:
David Hall
Author, Speaker, Educator, Podcaster
quietandstrong.com
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david [at] quietandstrong.com
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David Hall [00:00:08]:
Hello? And welcome to the Quiet Strong podcast, especially for introverts. I'm your host, David Hall, and the creator of quietandstrong.com. This is a weekly podcast dedicated to understanding the strengths and needs of introverts. Introversion is not something to fix, but to be embraced. Normally, we'll air each episode on a Monday. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform. Leave a review. Tell a friend.
David Hall [00:00:35]:
help get the word out there. Happy new year. I hope your year is off to a great start. You know, I I did have a nice break over the holidays. There was plenty of relaxation recharge, spending time with my family. But despite my best efforts, there was plenty to do at work. that was left from before the break. My 1st week at work after the holiday, it was particularly quiet, and I was able to get a lot of work done.
David Hall [00:01:04]:
I think probably everyone was getting back into things themselves, and some had not come back to work yet. In this quiet time, especially as an introvert, was wonderful and it allowed me to focus and work my way through various tasks and projects. And the key to focus is is on one thing at a time and not try to multitask. Multi tasking is the act of doing 2 or more things simultaneously. It might sound like a good idea, but it can have some serious consequences. doing multiple tasks at once often provides the same amount of work as doing them one at a time. or most cases more work. If you're multitasking, you're wasting your valuable time on simple tasks.
David Hall [00:01:55]:
and it's not as advantageous as it may seem. And I think some of this myth of multitasking is due to the rapidly changing world in which we live where an individual is asked to do more with less. and as a result, we're constantly under pressure to handle more tasks at once. However, As humans, we're not built for multitasking. As human beings, we can really only do one thing at a time. Overwhelming evidence suggests that multitasking is a myth. It can actually lead to significant decreases in productivity. The problem is we end up switching our attention back and forth between tasks and don't really finish anything.
David Hall [00:02:43]:
I've known people that are very proud of their ability to multitask. However, as an introvert, multitasking does not work well for me. Introverts are gifted thinkers. In order to use this gift, we need some quiet and focus. I find that I work best and most efficient when I can focus on one project at a time. The truth is everybody functions better with less multitasking. We can truly only pay attention to one thing at a time. According to doctor John Medina in his book, Brain Rules, Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50% longer to accomplish a task.
David Hall [00:03:25]:
Not only that, he or she makes up to 50% more errors. In quote, instead of multitasking, Medina calls it task switching. Since people can only have one thought at a time in order to attempt to do multiple things at the same time, they switch back and forth between thoughts. Some people are better at task switching than others, but no one actually has the ability to think about more than one thing at a time. So a good share of my day involves trying to answer emails while the phone's ringing Someone might be unexpectedly in my door or there might be a unexpected instant message with something urgent. And, of course, there's a project in the background that's due soon. And there is a temptation to try to do it all at once. But as I've learned, that doesn't work well for me, and I'm I'm really making efforts.
David Hall [00:04:25]:
to get more quiet time in my day and focus on one task at a time. Can you set aside time in your calendar to have periods of focus and quiet. So make a plan that allows for concentration. I found it extremely helpful the calendar time for certain tasks and then work on one thing at a time. Again, if you try to do more than one thing at a time, there's too much starting and stopping and then trying to remember where you left off. It's also important to take breaks in between tasks, plan for a recharge as much as you can. In doing so, you're gonna gain a lot more than just a break. will help you with your productivity and efficiency.
David Hall [00:05:10]:
I found that the best way to get things done is to chunk my day and set aside time for individual projects. Of course, you need to leave room for the miscellaneous and the unexpected. and also be reasonable in the number of things you're doing at any given time. What are the most important things that you need to accomplish and avoid distractions as much as possible. Focus on the thing that you're doing. Don't look at every email that comes in. Maybe we're noise cancelling headphones. Let people know when you need some quiet.
David Hall [00:05:48]:
And that may be in the office or it may be those in your house when you're working from home and figure out what works for you. For example, I know there's certain menial tasks I can do while listening to music or a podcast, but some things require more focus. So if I'm trying to read something, I can't be listening to something else. If I do, I'm not gonna get much out of my reading. And part of the reason we are multitasking is that we're plenty busy. You know, while you're sitting in a Zoom meeting, it's so tempting to work on clearing out your overflowing email box. The problem is you're dividing your tension between the meeting and your email box. You're not fully engaged with either.
David Hall [00:06:37]:
You're likely to miss important information in the meeting. or maybe even get caught off guard when someone says, hey. What do you think about that? Or your email might not be that well thought out. as it should be. When you're in the meeting, be in the meeting. Set aside time for those emails later. Or sometimes this may happen when you're with others such as your friends or even your kids. You're having a conversation.
David Hall [00:07:06]:
but you're checking the latest on your social media post. You're missing out with these relationships by not being fully present. And what message are you sending? Sorry. You don't need my full attention. Think you know what I mean. When you're with others, be present. Do the work at another time. I think that in addition to finding our own time to focus, we need to admit in our teams that multitasking is not effective.
David Hall [00:07:35]:
And we should try to arrange schedules so that each person on the team has some time to work without interruption on the projects he or she needs to accomplish. We can be more effective at work and enjoy our work in our lives if we can recognize that we need time and space to focus and that we can't be effective if we're pulled in too many directions. Let's avoid jumping from task to task too frequently throughout the day. Consciously thinking about what you're doing can help keep your mind focused on it. A stop getting better at multitasking and get better at getting our important work done. Thank you so much for joining me today. I look forward to further connecting with you. Reach out at david@quietandstrong.com.
David Hall [00:08:21]:
I'd love to hear from you. check out the website, quietandstrong.com. I'll add social media channels to the show notes. Send me topics or guests you would like to see. There's so many great things about being an introvert, and so we need those to be understood. This year, we'll continue to have great guests and topics We need to have conversations about the strengths and needs of introverts. Get to know your introverted strengths and needs and be strong.