Single-tasking: reclaiming my workday

​I’m a longtime multitasker. I’ve been self-employed for a decade, and most of the time I work with multiple clients on a variety of overlapping projects. But I’ve noticed a trend in my working habits: I’m task-switching more and more quickly. I’ve decided to change that. As I launch into a new year, I’m making “single-tasking” my goal.

Why is single-tasking a challenge?
Single-tasking is focusing on one task at a time. A simple concept, but surprisingly difficult to achieve in our multi-tab, multi-device workspaces. As I work on a project, I may be tempted to:
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• check whether I’ve received an email I’m waiting for,
• look at a text message that just binged on my phone,
• see what my calendar says I’m doing next weekend,
• review some comments on a piece of writing I submitted to a client yesterday,
• scritch the dog that just wandered into my office,
• look at my personal and professional social media feeds,
• and so on.

And I’m not alone. Apparently the average knowledge worker checks their email almost 300 times per day! That’s every couple of minutes. It’s amazing they get anything else done at all.

What’s wrong with multitasking?
Most of us like to think we can quickly do these things and then get back to the task at hand, but research shows that it can take over 20 minutes for a worker to refocus on a tsk after being interrupted by a phone call.
Research also shows that even experienced multitaskers do a better job on tasks if they do them one at a time, losing 20% of their overall productivity with every additional task they pile on.

How can we get better at single-tasking?
There are a lot of strategies for improving focus and removing distractions. Here are some of the most popular:

• Evaluate your tasks and prioritize the order in which you will work on them. Having a plan for the day will help keep you on track. If urgent tasks come up, finish your current task first if possible.
• Use the Pomodoro method, which involves setting a timer for 25 minutes and focusing on your task until the alarm sounds. Then take a 5 minute break before starting a new focus period. You can use several periods for one task if it requires more than 25 minutes to complete. If 25 minutes is too difficult, start with 15-minute periods.

• Start the day by taking care of any task that will take only a few minutes, like reading emails and other messages, deleting spam, answering the quick-response messages, and flagging the ones that need a more considered response later. Don’t spend more than 30 minutes on this.
• Close browser tabs and apps that might distract you, such as social media accounts, email accounts that aren’t work-related, and messaging apps.
• If you don’t need your personal phone for work, put it out of reach. If you need to keep it handy, turn off any apps that you don’t need (and should be checking) while you work.
• When you take a break, make it a real break for your brain and eyes by leaving your desk. Don’t eat lunch at your desk, even if you are just checking personal accounts. You will be more productive and creative if you do something completely different and come back refreshed.

Do you have other tips for single-tasking? Leave me a comment, because I can use all the help I can get!