I grew up being taught that the more I can do the better. Get more done with less time. That was beaten into my head growing up. Multi-tasking was the only way I could get everything done in a single day. I read my textbooks while I ate lunch and re-listened to lectures while I worked out.

But then there were times when I couldn’t have any distractions. I went to the corner of the library, away from all social “library-goers”, and buckled down to finish my schoolwork. I was hyper-productive during those times.

So, which way was better? Did I accomplish more if multi-tasked or focused on one thing at a time?

Dan’s definition of multi-tasking:

Multi-tasking is the act of doing many things poorly. Click to tweet

For example, I was cooking a new recipe for dinner while talking on the phone. Not only did I miss a key step and ingredient, but I also missed a whole part of the phone conversation.

This happened to me quite often and while we are told to not text and drive. Even trying to set up the GPS directions on your phone while driving can be dangerous.

A couple of years ago, I was driving on the highway when there was an unexpected slowdown. I reduced my speed and opened my phone to check how long the traffic jam was going to be… And that’s when I rear-ended the car in front of me. Luckily, I was only going 5mph.

Energy Is Our Most Valuable Resource

There is a common thought that time is our most precious resource. I agree that time is the all-powerful force that continues no matter what. But on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis, our energy is really what controls how much we accomplish.

This idea was laid out in a great book I read called The Power of Full Engagement. Here, the author goes into detail on how beneficial it is to be fully engaged and present in the current task at hand. When we split our mind into 2 or more trains of thought, we become overloaded and can’t comprehend either thought process. We only have so much energy to accomplish things throughout the day, so we need to be diligent in what we put that energy toward.

Multi-Tasking at Work

How many of us try to answer emails while on a conference call? I know I am guilty of this. I try to catch up on all of the other tasks while still “listening” to the call. It’s even easier to do this now that 99% of all meetings have turned virtual rather than in person.

We must fight the urge to do this. I am currently working on not multi-tasking during calls because whenever I do, almost immediately I start drafting an email reply, someone asks me a question that I don’t hear. When this occurs, two things happen.

First, I look like a fool who wasn’t paying attention during the meeting. The speaker then must repeat the question thereby wasting people’s time. Also, my co-workers lose respect for me because my actions showed that I think answering emails are more important than them.

Secondly, I lose my train of thought about what I was writing in the email. I break my focus to switch back to the conference call only to return to the email at a later time to forget what I was writing about.

Sure, there are times when I can get away with this and not get “called out” during a call. But most of the time, it isn’t worth it.

Mono-tasking: It’s the Best

There are many more examples I can share about how multi-tasking can backfire. But if we focus on the habits of those that live the richest lives, I have noticed a common theme. They all focus intently on what is being said and ignore the surrounding “noise”.

What I mean is that when they are on a call, working on their computer, or even just in a conversation, they are concentrating on that task only. They don’t pay attention to the person that walked behind them or to the fact that their phone just buzzed. These successful people do not get distracted.

That is what I am working towards. It takes practice and I have good days where I can focus on one thing at a time. I also have bad days, when even just a shadow of someone walking by my office distracts me.

Are you able to keep your focus on one thing at a time? Or are you good at multi-tasking and find that enables you to be hyper-efficient with your time?