Multitasking is Becoming a Myth .

Multitasking is Becoming a Myth . Focus on one activity at a time

Since the Pandemic kicks in 2020, Life is no Longer the Same . 

Hopefully the idea of multitasking will become extinct just like the dinosaurs. For those of us who love the Big Bang Theory, we all know the guys and some of the girls are all about science. It's science that has shown us that multitasking does not work and can actually stress you out. There are new tasks to focus and that's to avoid Covid 19 and stop it from spreading and it will be part of life and out daily chores .Here we should find time and adjust where necessary … 

It's been shown to be the most ineffective way to manage your time and priorities. In one of the tests that scientists did on this subject, they gave people a number of tasks to work on at the same time.

At the conclusion of the testing, it was shown that the completion of the tasks was actually slowed down by 500%.

One reason for this slow down is the switching of thought process. Although our subconscious mind can operate at beyond super computer speed, our conscious minds work much slower.

To show how this is true, scientists looked at people who spoke two or more languages. They were tested on switched back and forth between the new language and their native language. The time switching was measured as was the ability to start thinking and talking in their native language. There was a definite lag in starting up again in the native tongue.

What is multitasking? It is simply doing one or more things at the same time. There is a very old joke about a person's ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.

While that joke was funny back in it's day, we have moved to something more serious in multitasking. The invention of texting has caused not only unhappiness in significant relationships but also injury and death.

Everyday you hear about someone texting and driving or texting and walking into oncoming cars. While walking and chewing bubble gum does not really require any thought process, walking and texting does.

As the person's fingers are flying across the devices keyboards, they may be thinking of something funny to say or they are angry and coming up with negative words.

To really amp up the dangerous multitasking, you can now listen to YouTube on your iPhone while browsing other websites on your cell.

Studies have shown that university students who have multiple browsers open and attempt multitasking, are in danger of chronic stress. One can only imagine having the computer open, a few tests books flipped to pertinent pages, while eating Kraft dinner.

Anyone who attempts to do massive multitasking is only doing harm to their health.

In addition to chronic stress, multitaskers can suffer from depression. The attempt to do too many things at once plus be part of the social scene on Facebook, has people talking to their doctors about how stressed out they are.

Multitasking can also do harm at work. While some workplaces ban smartphones from usage, other encourage it as a means to be productive.

Where the harm comes in, is not recognizing the time and place to use the smartphone.

Having a laptop open and already engaged in work, then opening the smartphone…is definitely multitasking. It is so easy to lose focus and be productive. In most cases, the smartphone is being used to check texts while the laptop is open to something like Word document.

It is best to put away the smartphone while doing a project of some kind.

In the office atmosphere, you are frequently engaged in meetings and again it is possible that your laptop is open or there is a presentation being displayed. Taking out the smartphone to check texts, especially if you know it is frowned upon, can lead to stress. It is better to excuse yourself from the meeting if it is truly important to check that smartphone.

Reorganizing Your To Do list.

Pretty much everyone has done a "to do" list at one time or another. Sometimes it is just 3–4 items that can be done quickly. In other cases, it is multiple items and some of them are complex. It's where the item is complex, that frequently it fails to get done. Simple "to do's" get done and rather quickly at that.

When you look at a "to do" and one item is to simply cancel an appointment, then it tends to get done and crossed off.

However, something more complex like, "fill in sales stats," might get overlooked.

The way to avoid this issue, is to make that sales stats item, more detailed. Instead, write down, "fill in sales stats, check yesterdays against it. What do I need to improve tomorrow?" Yes, it is a bit longer but it is going to move you forward to doing it because you want to make more money.

Doing your "to do" list should include adding intentions. Remind yourself why you intend to do the task and what the benefit is. Even something simple like, "clean the garage," can be more of an intention like, "clean the garage so my wife will see there is more than enough room to put a workout set."

When you have long "to do" lists, it can seem overwhelming. Try batching and starring your to do list. Put similar items in a batch, then take the batches of 5, 10 or more and code it. 

Dig it for very important, Shit //for important and finally, No Shit for not important. Come up with your own coding system that will move you forward.

While pen and paper is the traditional method for to do lists, many people are switching to apps. Let's look two of the top apps available today.

Wunderlist is great if you work on projects with others. You can easily share your lists and comment on what is being worked on.

Many people suffer from poor memories, sometimes from overwhelm and also due to health issues. In Wunderlist, you can set the list with a due date and get a reminder. Perfect when you have an issue remembering to actually check your "to do" list. https://www.wunderlist.com/

Todoist has a great YouTube video to show you all the features. After you are setup, you can log in and create a list, then assign it a name and set reminders of when to do it. You can also set it to be re-occurring.

For example, if every Monday morning at 9 a.m., you have to fill out your expense report in order to be reimbursed, Todoist will pop up weekly for that.

This app also allows you to set priorities by setting a level number. Of course, #1 being the highest value.

Need to share your list? 

No problem. Click a button and share it with co-workers or family. This is a wonderful app that can be synced to all your devices. https://en.todoist.com/

#StaySafe