I'm delighted to welcome my very first guest blogger here at Peeling Mom Off the Ceiling. Please welcome my good friend (and guest on this week's radio show) professional organizer Debbie Rosemont.
Why do people multitask? Most people think that they can save time by trying to do 2 or 3 things at once. Typical multitasking examples include: sending emails while on the phone, listening to a friend or family member while sorting mail, or making a to-do list during a meeting. While most people think they are being more productive, growing research shows that multitasking actually makes you less efficient and reduces brainpower to perform each task.
Moms are also often responsible for the management of not only their own schedules and household duties, but those of their family members as well. They typically are the coordinators of carpools, sports schedules, after-school activities, homework, appointments, errands, play dates, meal planning, laundry, pet-care, etc. Many Moms wear multiple hats throughout any given day, including mother, wife, friend, volunteer, sibling, daughter, business person, manager of household finances, activity director, chief bottle washer, chef, doctor, counselor, teacher, etc.. It’s one complex job! It’s no wonder we feel like we have to multitask to get it all done.
The Journal of Experimental Psychology published a study showing that those that multitask are actually less effective than those who focus on one project at a time.
More and more studies are coming out with evidence that multitasking is problematic. According to CNN.com, heavy multitaskers did worse on attention tests than non-multitaskers and the multitaskers were more easily distracted by irrelevant information.
Some additional effects of mulitasking are that it is linked to short term memory loss, it can induce a stress response that when prolonged can damage cells that form new memory, it can change your ability to concentrate or increase gaps in your attentiveness, and it can increase the chance of mistakes.
What can we do? The primary skill we need to overcome multitasking is the ability to FOCUS. We also need to be able to handle interruptions and eliminate distractions.
Focus on one task at a time. This means doing something, and thinking about what you’re doing at the same time.
What are you doing right now? The task that you are working on “right now” should be the only thing that you are focused on. Do what you can to minimize all other distractions by silencing your phone, turning off all electronics (yes, that means your computer and the T.V.) and establish a specific block of time for “Mom Only.” Unless anything is on fire, this is your uninterrupted and sacred time. It is also important to have a clutter-free environment, which in turn will allow you to be more productive. (We’re easily distracted from the task at hand by the shiny objects (I mean “stuff”) left out around us.
Most of the time, multitasking is not the ticket to increasing productivity. So remember, when you find yourself chatting via instant messenger, playing just “one more” round of Bejeweled on Facebook, emailing your friends, trying to help your child with a math problem and surfing the web all at the same time, you may want think again and focus on just one activity at a time!
Do you have a “multitasking” mistake or horror story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it.
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Debbie Rosemont, Certified Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant, started her business, Simply Placed, in 2003 to help clients increase productivity, maximize efficiency and bring balance and control into their work, homes and lives. Rosemont and Simply Placed associates enjoy working with individuals and businesses to create effective organizational systems, clear clutter, successfully manage time, focus on priorities and achieve goals. They help busy professionals work smarter, not harder, to increase their bottom line and peace of mind through one-on-one consulting, hands on organizing, and group presentations or workshops.
Rosemont is an engaging public speaker, an effective consultant and trainer, and has been interviewed numerous times for print and radio media. She is the author of the book Six-Word Lessons to Be More Productive: 100 Six-Word Lessons to Increase Your Focus, Organization and Productivity
and the creator of several information products. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/simplyplaced.
