Multi-Tasking

My morning coffee ritual is more like an assembly line but with only one person. I measure, grind, fill, froth, add and stir precisely the same way every morning. It’s a series of small tasks towards the perfect cup. A cup that’s perfect for me. 

The funny thing is I’m fooled into thinking I’m a great multitasker. Fooled because it’s physical… not mental. My mom claims to be a good multitasker. She would brag about driving her VW Bug while smoking a cigarette, holding a bottle of coke, shifting gears, all while ensuring my safety as I stood in the front seat. No one died or got burned. 

It turns out we can multitask but we can’t multi-focus. Making coffee or shifting gears doesn’t take much thought. Thoughts that require attention. Attention switching is the real problem. 

Switching from one thing to another has a cool feeling of momentum. Imagine checking emails, then you get a text, then a phone call, then someone pops by your office all while working on a spreadsheet. You get your stuff done and walk into your next meeting feeling like a savant. 

Most mornings you don’t get it all done but today you did. The truth is, this form of multitasking is inefficient. 

You want to be fast and accurate? One thing at a time, start to finish.

P.S. Still not buying it…???  Click the Star K below and take this fun test that’ll make you anxiously sweat when you realize how wrong you are :)

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