“There is no royal road to
anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast,
withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” —J. G. Holland
Multitasking has become a
buzzword globally. In this high-tech world, people are often confused with what
to do one thing first due to the pressure from multiple sources and distraction
from various sources. They must prioritize their tasks and execute one task at
a time. Currently, there is less focus on work due to distractions arising from
technology and social media. People want everything on a platter and in precise
as per their priorities and tastes which has become a big challenge globally. In
this post, I will debunk multitasking and discuss the merits of doing one thing
at a time.
Multitasking is a Myth
Doing one thing at a time is
against multitasking. Research shows that there is no merit in multitasking.
Our brains are not effective when we multitask because they are not built for
multitasking. I am not expert in multitasking as I cannot concentrate on many
things at a time. As an author, I find it highly challenging to multitask and
follow my creative pursuits. Hence, I undertake one task and execute it effectively
and move on to the next task. There are
several merits in staying away from multitasking. You focus clearly on your
task and contribute your best. You emphasize excellence and excel in your area.
You will be able to differentiate between the chalk and the cheese. You learn
your priorities right. You don’t get distracted due to technology and social
media. You are less likely to make mistakes. The demerits include missing other
opportunities that arise while executing one task. You may be delayed in other
activities. Steve Jobs once remarked, “People think focus means saying yes to
the thing you’ve got to focus on. But
that’s not what it means at all. It
means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.”
Multitasking may be possible
when you intend to execute a task with your conscious mind and other tasks with
your subconscious mind. For instance, women are expert in multitasking. They
view television, breastfeed children and sew the clothes. That means, they view
television with their conscious mind and breastfeed their children and sew the
clothes with their subconscious mind.
Do one thing at a Time
“The shortest way to do many
things is to do only one thing at once.” —Samuel Smiles
“Do not be discouraged
because you cannot learn all at once; learn one thing at a time, learn it well,
and treasure it up, then learn another truth and treasure that up, and in a few
years you will have a great store of useful knowledge.” —Wilford Woodruff
Reference
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Life is great!
Professor
M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership
Consultants, India
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