While reading Will Thalheimer’s blog on multitasking, I started playing out situations in my mind.
- Twitter, email and IM popping up new messages
- Going through my RSS feed
- Checking LinkedIn & Facebook
- Answering the phone
- Attending to visitors
Yet as we do this we are all learning. So if it actually is a disturbance to multi-task, where is the line? What is considered multi-tasking and what is considered fruitful learning & performance? This is what I have come up with initially…
I see myself in a constant state of learning. But those non-formal times of learning which are best for me are when they are targeted. It doesn’t matter if I use 100 different resources or 1. But if I am focused then I can use all my tools to accomplish a task.
For example, yesterday I was trying to find a way to create a movie in Camtasia, send it to Adobe Premiere and produce the final with a clear picture. The ones I was doing were decent, but I needed more clarity. To do this I integrated a google search, help search, Twitter shout-out and email. I wasn’t multi-tasking. Instead I was focused on one task even though I was using multiple avenues.
Recognizing this some time ago, I have turned off email popups and check my RSS feeds, LinkedIn, Facebook and NING sites on purpose (as apposed to haphazardly). (Twitter I still have on, but often I let those go until I can check a bunch at a time.) If I am heavy into the moment I let my phone go to voicemail. And in desparate times I “pull out the plant.” This large plant blocks anyone from visiting me. All these things keep my learning and production focused, avoiding the multi-tasking.
One last thought – I have found there is some benefit to procrastination. Interruptions don’t always receive immediate brain share. They are put on the backburner unless they are an emergency (Covey’s “Important vs. Urgent”). Sometimes they disappear before I get to them. Often my brain will, in the background, deal with the situation so when I do allow it to occupy my time I can speedily take care of it. The brain is a beautiful thing.
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