Elevate

To Multi-Task or Not to Multi-Task?

Certain phrases seem to go through trends of being popular, or become a buzzword. Several years ago there was lots of thought and mild bragging almost about being able to multi-task. Whether it’s checking emails and listening to podcasts whilst cooking dinner, or having a conversation and scrolling through social media whilst getting ready all at the same time is multi-tasking. Can you relate to any of these?

Multi-tasking can also be working on several projects alongside one another and so you may start on one, pause, pick up another, put that down and move on to the next one. Now if you are in a role that includes project management that is understandable. However, when it comes to personal growth and working on your goals it’s been evidenced that multi-tasking is often ineffective.

I have seen this in practice where clients will start one of my coaching programmes and have a list, often a huge list of what they want to change, do, or accomplish. It does get pretty overwhelming quickly, and in the long term the change and new growth is not sustainable. We often strip it back to the top three and start with one goal. Yes, just one goal and one task at a time. This may feel contrary to productivity but bear with me as I explain a little more.

An acronym of the word FOCUS is ‘Follow One Course of Action Until Successful’. It’s a great definition too. If we were to try a different strategy to make progress and switch from multi-tasking to mono-tasking what difference would it make? I would argue that it may really help reduce the overwhelm. Because the journey of adulting can be a lot, with so many expectations, demands, pressure and changes. Added to that you want to move forward with your goals, live more purposefully etc so if we did literally just that and focussed on one aspect it may make a positive difference.

Deciding to follow one course of action until successful may be in fact be one of the greatest changes you can make this year. One of the indicators of success is completion. After all, partially finished projects, books, business goals, changes, and home projects can lead to frustration if it’s been the same cycle year after year. One completed project may in fact be better than three partially completed ones.

I’ll leave you with this final thought that success breeds success. So the more successful you are at completing tasks, and achieving your goals, the more likely you are to repeat the process. I started several books over the last 10 years and never got past chapter 3 … possibly even just chapter one in some of them. However, in 2020 working with a colleague and friend together we wrote, finished and published our first book. There was something about getting to the end of that journey that acted as a catalyst for completing and finishing books, and projects in general. Three ‘completed’ books now sit on my office shelf.

Can I encourage and remind you that you have the ability to succeed in achieving tasks and getting things done this year. It’s important to focus on just one task, so as we go into a new month what is the one thing you plan to accomplish? Go for it and feel free to reach out and share your wins.

By Francesca McDowall