Multi tasking can be bad for you - Creative Women International

We are often told that multi tasking is the answer, but what if I was to tell you that multi tasking can be bad for you?

As women we are told that it is a skill we are good at, something to be admired as we rush around and try to finish a million things at the same time.

Now I’m not saying that multi tasking doesn’t have its place. The best way to multi task is to break tasks down into chunks and only focusing on each chunk at a time. Single-focus-tasking works on a similar principle, but in a more extreme way.

In this week’s podcast I talk about how you can make Single-focus-tasking work for you and how it can help you to make your projects more successful.

When we use single-focus-tasking it actually allows us to clear our mind of clutter, which in turn helps us to come up with more creative ideas. I have been using single-focus-tasking all this week to get my online Beta Testing version of my course launched- which is all about how to build a career in the creative industries.

There are still spaces on the beta testing version of the course at a discount of 75%! If you would like a place and are based in the UK please drop me an email at Philiy@CreativeWomenInternational.com

By only focussing on one project I was able to commit completely to getting it done. Was it easy? To be honest no! I struggled not to dive into other projects for the first two days. Once I had got past the first 48 hours, things became much easier. I found that my mind had more space to be creative, I problem solved faster, and each day I completed much more work than when I tried to multi task.

Single-focus-tasking isn’t suitable for every day work, but if you have a deadline looming, or a large project that you really need to get going with, this can really help. It also helps with imposter syndrome. By only focussing on one task it is easier to quieten the imposter syndrome monster and carry on.

So how can you do this yourself?

Start with something small that you can complete in one day. See if you can re-train your mind to only focus on one thing.
Look at all of the projects and work that you have to complete over the next month. Can you choose one thing to complete in a few days or over the course of a week? Tell your clients that you will get back to them in 5 days time, and work your way through one project until completion. (It is very satisfying to tick a big project off your list!)
If you can’t single-focus-task a project to completion, are there sections of a project that you can break down into chunks and then only focus on each chunk?
You don’t need to single-focus a whole day. You can break your day into chunks and only focus on certain things in those times.

What if I find this hard to do?

We are told that we need to multi-task to get things done, but this can actually end up with us doing tiny bits of work on several things and never feeling like we can get ahead.
Try it for a couple of hours first of all. Make sure that all emails or calls that you make, or read in that time are only related to the task in hand.
Review how much work you get done at the end of single tasking. Is it an improvement on what you would have achieved in a day if you were working on several things at the same time?
Find a buddy who also wants to try it. You can put a shout out on the CWI Facebook Page to see if someone else will try it out with you. Having someone to talk through the times when you get distracted or imposter syndrome strikes can really help you to keep going.

Let me know how you get on and try the challenge that I set at the end of the podcast.

Leave a comment to let me know what you have managed to achieve by single tasking your projects.