Effective multitasking at work

I hate to break it to you, but it's simply not possible to effectively multitask at work. The act of switching between tasks comes at a high cognitive cost. Statistics reveal that, on average, we experience interruptions every 1.5 minutes in the workplace, and it takes us roughly 25 minutes to return to a task and regain the same level of concentration. This leads to diminished work quality, extended task completion times, and increased fatigue. To underscore the severity of this issue, a study done in the UK demonstrated that multitasking temporarily reduces our IQ by more than twice the impact from smoking cannabis.

"But I've seen some people excel at multitasking!" Well, there are three main possibilities at play here. First, people often believe they are multitasking when, in reality, they are pausing one task to start another and then returning to the initial one. These people are subject to the cognitive costs previously mentioned. Second, certain tasks can in fact be done in "autopilot-mode", allowing them to be carried out effectively in conjunction with other activities (e.g., folding laundry while watching TV). However, beware of the risks involved in having such “autopilot-mode” tasks at work. Lastly, there exists a unique 2% of the population known as "Supertaskers". These individuals seem to have a genetic predisposition for efficient multitasking. While you may have encountered a couple of them, no amount of practice can change the genetic makeup of the remaining 98%, so we need to explore alternative strategies.

My recommendation: Effective at Eliminating distractions. (Initially, this was the title of the article, but thought to be a bit more provocative instead).

In my years of teaching the benefits of single-tasking, I've discovered these top five strategies that work best for people:

1. Schedule "Do Not Disturb" time throughout your day. During your weekly planning, allocate dedicated periods when you won't be available to others. Treat these time blocks as if they were actual meetings. Start with one 60-minute block and aim to expand to at least two 90-minute blocks daily. Communicate to your team where to reach you in case of an emergency.

2. Disable email popup notifications in Outlook or Gmail. Email tends to be the biggest distraction during the workday, so eliminate the temptation to read emails constantly. If there are individuals who must reach you at all times, consider adding them to your VIP list for immediate access.

3. Recognize the best times for breaks. While you've likely heard of the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break), other methods like the 50/10 and 90/20 are also effective. There's no universal rule for the number of breaks; understand your own patterns and plan accordingly.

4. Keep your phone out of reach. Many of us are addicted to our smartphones, so it's wise to place them where they're not easily accessible. If you find self-control challenging, consider using a PhoneSafe.

5. Establish rituals, such as selecting the right music genre. Research has shown the benefits of using music for concentration, especially instrumental music without lyrics. Create a consistent playlist for focus (I use jazz music). Over time, you can associate this music with increased productivity. You might also find Apple's "study-buddy" video to be an interesting approach.

In-distractable = Indestructible,

Jorge Luis Pando