Is Multi-tasking a Time and Productivity Thief?

I’ve been hearing a lot again recently about how multi-tasking is causing the loss or reduction of focus and is making us more unproductive in the long run. There’s a plethora of studies that have been done about it. But along with the productivity drop, our human connections are decreasing. Bear in mind that “Millennials”, those ages 17 to 28, are spending on average 6½ hours each day with electronic media – and employers are taking advantage of this situation. Now researchers say that by factoring in multi-tasking and that number increases to 8½ total hours daily. In most households, when Mom or Dad comes in from work and says “Hello”, only 1 in 3 kids turns away from their computer or video game to return the greeting.
It’s a well-known psychological fact that down-time or even single tasking (often referred to as doing nothing!) recharges your mind and your body. Yet the sad thing is that while true multi-tasking seems a real gift, and most people feel that yields higher productivity, it can endanger your physical and emotional health.
Researchers at UCLA found that at the very least multi-tasking negatively impacts your brain’s learning center and another team at MIT found that students, while handling several tasks at one, had more brain “downtime” rather than being more stimulated by the multiple tasks. And reduced brain activity reduces creativity which can be associated with things like “writers block”, with which I’m familiar.
Now, all multi-tasking isn’t bad – in fact, it’s a great way to do get your exercise and watch the news. Or prepare dinner and listen to music. But if you need to be highly focused, say driving a car in heavy traffic, I wouldn’t advise blasting out Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” while talking on your cell phone and reading the paper! The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s research regarding drivers and distractions (www.iihs.org) makes note that distracted drivers cause more accidents than those who remain focused on their driving.
Now you’re about to tell me that it’s not possible for you manage your day without the craziness of multi-tasking – and to some degree you are correct. We’ve created our careers on the very foundation of multi-tasking and all that technology offers to assist us. Well, I’m just saying that if you feel it’s gotten out of hand, it’s likely WAY out of hand. Is there a cure? Not likely, but there are some things you can do to improve.
• In the words of a character from the TV show “Mash” Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester – “I do one thing, do it very well and then move on.” But pick the most important thing that needs finishing and refuse to let yourself get off track. Of course, like in the TV show anything involving bleeding or pain should get top priority.
• Take time to read, do crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc. which require you to focus narrowly on the task at hand.
• Go to a gym, practice yoga, go for a walk, take five minutes to do nothing but deep breathing.
• Get off the Web and shut down your email program – just for a little while.
• When you have tasks that must be completed, like placing orders, making return calls, writing emails, etc., plan for them and set aside scheduled times for starting and finishing these.
• Quit being an addict to an adrenaline-based lifestyle (even though your boss may not like it).
So as I’m finishing this article, I have two more open and waiting to continue with writing, and I keep hearing these little dings as new email arrives. Oh and by the way, I had to stop and answer the telephone multiple times, but I finally finished it. I’m pretty sure I could’ve done it in about half the time without all the multi-tasking.


Brian Howe is a professionally-trained business and life coach, writer and speaker, who owns ThinkTank Coaching. He is also a Certified Mediator, and holds the highest human resource certification, Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He has worked with over 300 business owners and professionals, coaching and consulting with them on leadership development and other aspects related to people in business. He can be reached at (770) 922-6007 or via his website www.coachbrian.com.

Managing Generational Diversity in the Workplace

Builders, Boomers, GenX-ers and NeXters. Many work environments now have four generations within them, something that has never occurred in modern years. If your company or business unit is one of them, I know you’ve likely got your hands full with the chaos created by the conflict and poor communications that may exist as a result of this. It’s a hot topic in the workplace today and the thought of how to manage the issues can be staggering to a business owner or manager when he or she discovers that many people are not ready or willing to embrace the changes needed to overcome generational diversity.
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On-boarding- Helping New Leaders Succeed

Companies are bracing for turnover. Trust me, it’s coming. My sources report that with the improving economy, people who have been staying in their jobs, even though dissatisfied, will be leaving . . . and soon.

So here’s the predicament. Four out of 10 newly hired or promoted supervisors, managers, executives, leaders and line staff fail within the first 18 months of starting their new positions. ‘Failing’ includes being fired for performance, performing significantly below expectations, or voluntarily resigning from the new position.

The challenges they face today include:
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Employee Exit Interviews Will Save Your Company Money -- If Properly Conducted

My research has shown that a person who resigns from your company is leaving for one of three main reasons:

 a new career opportunity,
 an unsolicited job offer or
 for a grievance that has not been handled correctly (usually a manager issue).

The last point on this list is the most frequent reason a valued employee moves on. There are other reasons of course, but these are tops. Whenever a person resigns from your company for voluntary reasons it’s normally a surprise and it can be expensive to replace a valuable team member. This article will outline three important steps for conducting exit interviews, a process which can reduce employee turnover and improve profitability at the same time.

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Stop Chasing Success

Yep, you heard me right. I’m telling you: “Stop chasing success and discover what really matters most to you!” I’ve found that quite a few business owners, and many other folks, have an uncontrollable urge to chase success. And why not? After all, according to lots of successful people like Thomas Edison who said, “Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”, the concept is one that has become embedded in our brains.
Many people, from time to time me included, often have trouble envisioning the level of success they most desire. One of the main reasons for this is that they haven’t done a reality check and defined success as they see it. Most of the time they use the monetary or material ‘yardsticks’ of others (yeah, that’s right – the Beamer, Hummer, ski boat, lake house, etc.)
So what should I do, you ask? Well, it’s time to do two things to start off the New Year.
Many of my clients make New Year's resolutions. Others do not. If they do, I ask them to concentrate on two areas: intentions and self-imposed limitations. My experience is that when people stay focused in these two areas they likely make more money in their business or career, grow their customer base and have lots more fun.
However, I caution clients that resolutions should not be grounded in what they feel they must accomplish, but rather what their "intentions" are around those goals. I ask them this question: "What are your intentions for the year and what self-imposed limitations are you going to rise above in order to achieve those intentions?"
Then I ask that they envision themselves twenty, thirty or forty years ahead and look back on what they've achieved -- what mark have they left on this earth or what legacy have they left behind? How would the 85-year old you view the you of the present? If they are satisfied with what they see, that's good. If not, then they usually become quite motivated to achieve more of the right stuff. And that's really where the coaching work begins.
New Year's Resolutions? I want my clients to think much bigger than a resolution. I want them to determine how many lives they can hugely and positively impact or affect. I request that they intensely and honestly question and let go of self-imposing limitations and beliefs, for as long as they are a part of you, they become part of your reality, just as they have in the past. Here are some things my clients question:
• How can I be more successful?
• How much many can I make?
• Can I really market, sell and attract more clients?
• How can I make a significant impact on those people who are closest to me?
• Can I find the time to do more?
People can tell me what they want from their businesses or careers. But normally, they can’t tell me what they really want. Early on in our work together my clients’ answers are at first, quite standard; money, security for retirement, new car, college tuition or eliminating tolerations (the stuff that keeps bugging us day in and day out). But I keep asking “What else?”, until they realize that they have some soul searching to do in order to find out what motivates them to do all that they do. They then begin to think: about who they are, what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it (hence my company’s name “ThinkTank Coaching”).
Using the 85-year old scenario as a preview, you can create intentions, and amazingly enough, this is what many successful people do, because it gives them the outline for success. Plus, they don’t forget to write them down! Professional life and business coaches like myself, understand that clear intention is at the core of making the quantum leap from an ordinary life to “superstar success”. Because those folks know the core motives for what they are doing, and they create a lucid and low friction path to success.

Brian Howe is a professionally-trained executive and business coach, writer and speaker, who owns ThinkTank Coaching. He is also a Certified Mediator, and holds the highest human resource certification, Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He has worked with over 300 business owners and professionals, coaching and consulting with them on leadership development and other aspects related to people in business. He can be reached at (770) 922-6007 or via his website http://www.coachbrian.com/