Time Tips: Multi-tasking Tip #002

Time Tips: Multi-tasking Tip #2

Multitasking--doing more than one thing at a time--rarely works. I'm not talking about walking and chewing gum at the same time. Those two activities use entirely separate parts of the brain.

The various sections of the brain--each with its own function--operate serially, not in parallel. That is, if you are accessing the frontal lobes to process visual information you cannot simultaneously access them to process auditory information. This is why you can't read a book and carry on a meaningful conversation at the same time.

The brain "sort of" multitasks, because the information coming to it is often below its bandwidth threshold. For example, if your brain can process 100 spoken words per minute and you are listening to 60 spoken words per minute, you have some leftover bandwidth. During the gaps between words, you can process other information. This is why we are able to carry on a light conversation while driving a car in fairly light traffic. But if either the conversation or the traffic ramps up, the driver will be unable to do one (or both) of the tasks properly.

Another problem with multitasking is there are transactional costs. That is, changing gears takes mental energy. The actual switching between tasks consumes some of that bandwidth and consequently takes up time.

If task X takes 10 minutes and task Y takes 5 minutes, you will use 15 minutes doing them separately. When multi-tasking, you can usually expect to take considerably longer--perhaps 20 minutes. Part of the extra time is due to the switching costs, part is due to the inefficiency caused by lack of attention, and part is due to having to repeat portions of the task.

So, to make the most of your time, avoid buying into multitasking myth. Instead, focus on the task at hand. To keep your focus sharp, break your tasks up into blocks that fit your attention span. If you are a television addict, you will have to keep these blocks small. If you are, say, a classically trained musician, try large blocks and see if you are maintaining your focused edge.

Here's an example of how this works. Instead of trying to balance my checkbook while planning a trip with someone over the phone, I might work on the checkbook until it's half done. Then, I'd call the other person and set some trip parameters--what we want to do, when we are leaving, when we are coming back. We'd agree to talk again the next day after each of us does some specific research. Then I'd finish the checkbook project and do my research (let's say I'm supposed to find the hotels and two places of interest).

A great way many businesses are managing time is using software. There are many forms of time and attendance software which allows managers to track and monitor employees time usage.

More thoughts on time management

The phrase "time management" is an unfortunate language quirk. You can't really manage time. It just is. You can't gain time, create time, or even lose time. Time is what it is, regardless of what we do.

It would be better to say "time allocation" or "activity management" "time usage" or some other phraseology to indicate that it's not time itself you're managing but how you use the time that exists. But we'll use the common terminology here to avoid confusion.

Some things time management is not:

Being more efficient. Suppose you become very efficient at making buggy whips. Does this fact mean you are managing your time well?
Getting more done in a given amount of time. Getting more done of what? And to what degree of quality? If you rake the leaves on a lawn from one side to the other all day long, does that mean you are a good time manager?
Being able to juggle multiple priorities. Instead of juggling priorities, assign priorities. First tend to the urgent things, then the most important things.
Mastering multi-tasking. This concept conflicts with what we know about the human brain. If you buy into this self-defeating, time-wasting, quality-killing ideology, you might also be interested in practicing solo flight by flapping your arms frantically.
Working faster. No, this mode is how you make mistakes that you subsequently have to spend more time fixing.

Some things good time management involves:

Deciding what to do. This is trickier than it sounds. Which is why there are time management experts.
Deciding what not to do. This is even trickier than deciding what to do. Which is why there are time managers and why discipline is a huge, huge factor in accomplishing this.
Deciding what to do when, and in what order. In essence, prioritization.
Determining the scope, goals, and metrics for each activity you undertake. In this area, we the find most room for improvement. Precision here allows you to avoid waste on the one hand, and falling short on the other.
Planning out the work, task, project, or activity such that you determine the necessary steps to quality completion. That is, what must you do to meet the intended goal and quality metrics?
Identifying unnecessary steps. Get this right, and you can cut your wasted hours significantly.
Figuring out what resources to use. Not all resources applicable to a task are equal. Picking the right tool for the job saves time, improves quality, and makes life less stressful.

We've highlighted only some of the factors involved in good time management. We actually teach extreme time management, which is a methodology that allows you to make effective use of your time almost second nature. You don't need a complicated system. Our system puts many of the variables on autopilot, so you have more time to do what you need to do. Our system goes way beyond most other systems in results, yet is far simpler.

Contact us for a presentation to your organization: comments @ mindconnection.com (remove the spaces after pasting into your e-mail client's "to" box.