The most important lesson you can learn is … SQUIRREL!
I tell people often “I can only do one thing at a time,” especially when I’m in the middle of something and they ask me an important question. Early in my marriage my wife and I would be discussing something, I’d begin thinking about it and I’d be snapped back to reality by another question from her, “Mathieu, where are you?” I had stopped having a conversation with her and was engrossed in whatever thought had taken me away from our conversation.
In professional work, I noticed on days when I had a lot of projects on the go, I didn’t finish any of them. In fact I would have five projects all at 80% completion and none that I could ship out as done. However, when I set out to complete a project with sequential steps, I was able to accomplish the entire task much faster than when I had other items on the go.
Wondering if this was a problem, I visited my doctor and asked him if maybe I was living with ADD or ADHD. He scoffed at me and told me multi-tasking as a way to be more productive was a lie and if he had three patients in three rooms who he was all trying to treat he’d only be able to see a few people each day. For time context, he then bemoaned Windows 95.
Earlier this year, we as a cohort took the LCP Leadership Accelerator and while its length means different people will take away different reflections having completed it, my takeaway was to put first things first. I had just moved into a new house and I was surrounded by boxes. I couldn’t imagine having a nice office to work in (even though one of the motivations for our move was to get an office space for me) and because my house was a moving box mess, I couldn’t imagine getting anything else done. The LCP helped me calm my mind down and take one next step to getting the house in order. For me in that moment, it was setting up the TV. Getting the TV setup helped me see a small victory and the next time I went to unpack I challenged myself to unpack a few more things. Later that week I counted all the boxes that needed to be unpacked and discovered there were just about 60 in total so I made the commitment to unpack one box a day for two months.
Little did I know I was living out two of the strategies from Your Brain at Work by David Rock: avoiding multitasking and competing against yourself. These two strategies work in concert to create an environment of focus and self-improvement.
The first strategy, avoiding multitasking, is a well-known productivity tip that has been proven effective in numerous studies. Multitasking, or attempting to complete several tasks simultaneously, can lead to a reduction in productivity and an increase in stress levels. When we attempt to switch between tasks, our brains require time to reorient and refocus, resulting in wasted time and decreased productivity. By focusing on one task at a time, we can more effectively use our brains’ resources and complete tasks more efficiently.
The second strategy, competing against yourself, involves setting goals and tracking progress over time. By comparing our current performance to past performance, we can motivate ourselves to improve and reach our goals. Positive self-talk and self-encouragement are important components of this strategy, as they help to maintain motivation and keep us on track. By setting achievable goals and tracking progress over time, we can experience a sense of accomplishment and continuously improve our performance.
By implementing these two strategies, we can create a focused and productive environment that promotes self-improvement and goal achievement. Avoiding multitasking and competing against ourselves can help us to more effectively use our brains’ resources and stay motivated over time. These strategies can be applied to any area of our lives, from work to personal projects, to help us reach our full potential and achieve our goals.
I had a hard time connecting this book to others we have read this semester but I was able to see how it aligned to the work I had done with the LCP Leadership Accelerator. Like others have expressed in our cohort, the work has been onerous for me and Dr. Clark often reminds us that it’s supposed to be hard “Or everyone would do it.”
However, this book and the LCP Leadership Accelerator have helped me prioritize what’s important for my life. To not doo too much at once and while one arena may not be getting the attention it wants, it is getting the attention I can afford to give it without tearing myself apart.
About the Author
Mathieu Yuill
While raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens may be a few of Julia Andrews' favourite things, here are a few of mine: Talking to strangers, Learning about what you do for fun, Conversation over coffee. I own a marketing and communications company in Toronto, Canada called Leading With Nice. There are a lot of names I could have given the company but a trusted friend encouraged me to name it that because I really value the humanness in us all. Bah - this is starting to sound like a horrible LinkedIn post. So whatever, let's have coffee. I'd love to hear about what you do for fun!2 responses to “The most important lesson you can learn is … SQUIRREL!”
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Hey Mathieu! What strategy or strategies do you use to avoid multitasking?
I want to ask about your second strategy, what do you do to track your goals? I often move from strategy to strategy often and have a hard time keeping it going….do you have a strategy for your strategy? Just curious what works for you.