We often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, so we resort to trying to do multiple things at once. It turns out this isn’t ideal for productivity.
If you’re multitasking, you can’t truly focus on more than one thing at one time. Your brain needs to switch from one activity to another, which can result in you losing a lot of time while your mind tries to get back on track. If you switch tasks too often, your brain will not get a chance to focus on each job properly, which is why multitaskers tend to make more mistakes.
Some studies have found that multitasking can increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol. This can lead to increased heart rates and blood pressure, which can cause you some serious problems later in life.
You can prevent yourself from multitasking by using a variety of different tools. If you use a website blocker on your laptop, you will be more likely to stay focused on the original task you planned on doing in the first place. By eliminating potential distractions, you will limit the chance of your attention being diverted to other tasks. For starters, clean your desk and turn your personal phone on silent while you are working.
Time blocking can also help with productivity and will help you avoid multitasking. Time blocking is becoming a popular method to help people stay focused. This method involves setting aside certain times to complete specific tasks during the day. For this to work correctly, you need to make sure you have your timetable ready before the day starts. It might be hard to stick to your plan in the beginning, but you should give yourself time to adapt to this new way of working. With time, it will become easier to tackle tasks at the right time, and you will see how much more productive you can be.
There are times when multitasking can be useful. It’s okay to multitask when neither of the tasks you are doing requires your sole concentration or one or more of the tasks is something you have already mastered.