Work in series to get things done

While we pride ourselves on our ability to multitask, that should not mean trying to do them all at once. To do something well it needs all your focus and energy. This means we need to get comfortable with serial working on multiple projects. And we need to learn how to prioritize the right tasks, which are normally the important/non-urgent ones.

How? If you want to get more done, go offline to prevent distraction. That's right, close the door to the Internet and your productivity will increase. Your email client probably has a work offline option. This will help you author and respond to email without interruption. Your web browser has the option to close the navigation toolbars. Yammer, IM and Tweetdeck can be closed until needed.

But what if I miss something? If you are already working on your Must Dos - the ones you know are most important to you - then don't sacrifice them for the chance there might be something even more important out there. If there is, it'll find its way to you. Meantime, you can feel comfortable that your current focus is where it should be. If you are worried about the half-life of incoming actions, schedule breaks to check your email and feeds, and focus on that triage, before returning to your Must Dos.

Serial working is also a matter of respect for your peers and competitors. There are fewer rewards for second place, so get it done right and done quickly. You can't do that if you are parallel working on several tasks with your focus split across all of them. Your best work needs all your attention and effort. Otherwise, that less gifted competitor who is more focused will do a better job. Give him enough respect to allocate all your attention on the task. You're good, but they're not bad either.

If you are involved in lots of projects, but find few come to final fruition despite enormous efforts, serial working could be for you. You're still a multitasker, but a serial do-er. Don't stop until you reach 100% of what you can achieve alone. Then move on to your next important task. At first, it'll feel odd as you overcome the addiction of jumping from project to project, but I hope you will find it more productive and more satisfying when you make things happen.

Comments

[Michael Hay]

I agree totally and I find that to get a job done I often have to switch off my Twitter, Yammer, iChat and more importantly close my email client (or put it to Offline mode as often I need to refer to past or draft emails). I then just check in after 30mins or an hour. A bit like the Pomodoro Technique http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

One very handy app, on Macs, which helps you focus on one task is Isolater (http://isolator.en.softonic.com/mac). This makes everything else on your screen go black apart from the window you are working on. Stops you getting distracted, almost giving you tunnel vision.

[Morgan McLintic]

Hi Mike,

Just had a chance to read up on Pomodoro - thanks.

Also found a link direct to Isolator - http://willmore.eu/software/isolator/