Ever feel like your brain has a million tabs open at once?
Yeah, me too. In fact, one of the things Kev laughed his arse off about me and shamed me into stopping not long after we met was my crazy collection of open tabs on my laptop.
He said, “It’s no wonder your laptop is slow at times! It’s a wonder it even functions at all!”
He was so right. At times, I would have 50+ tabs open. I just didn’t shut anything down before starting something else, and it was a difficult digital environment to navigate.
The same thing can happen in “real life” when we try to do too much at once -
We've all been there: juggling work emails, listening to a meeting, and sneaking a peek at social media – all at the same time. But here's the cold hard truth: multitasking might feel productive, but it's a myth.
Our brains aren't wired to focus on multiple tasks simultaneously.
Instead, when we "multitask," we're actually rapidly switching between tasks. This constant back-and-forth comes with a hidden cost:
- Everything takes longer: Think you're a multitasking whiz? I can guarantee you aren’t as whizzy as you think. Studies show switching tasks can actually make you take longer to complete each one. Your brain has to take a mini-break to refocus every time you switch from one thing to another.
- More cockups: Juggling tasks divides your attention, making you more prone to errors. Cooking while checking your phone (yeah, I’ve done this,too) means a burnt dinner, or adding coriander instead of parsley (barf!).
- Stressy head: The constant mental ping-pong of multitasking creates cognitive overload. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and even decreased creativity (mucho barf!)
So, what's the alternative?
- Focus on One Thing: Instead of trying to do everything at once, pick a single task and dedicate your full attention to it. You'll be surprised at how much more efficient and precise you become.
- Schedule Breaks: Our brains need downtime to recharge. Schedule short breaks throughout the day to clear your head and avoid burnout.
- Embrace Automation: Can a tool or app handle a repetitive task? Automate it! This frees up your mental space for the things that truly require your focus.
By ditching multitasking and embracing focused work, you'll accomplish more and keep your stress levels in check.
So, silence notification noises, close extra browser tabs, and tackle one thing at a time.
Your noodle will thank you for it!