Notes on "Single Tasking"
My first day back in the office after a program often feels a little overwhelming. Follow up projects, people to get back to, spreadsheets to update, etc. It's taken me years but I'm slowly learning to work slow, not fast - and to work on just one thing at time. This focus may result in getting less work done but it's a calmer experience and I know that the work I've done has been done correctly.
"Single-tasking is the opposite of multitasking, and it’s better in virtually every way. Our brains may initially resist single-tasking because it’s less stimulating. But working on one thing at a time lets us dive deeper and do a better job at each task. This way we don’t have to spread our time, attention, and energy—the three ingredients of productivity—across many things at once. Single-tasking lets us create more attentional space around our work in the moment, which lets us think deeper, make more connections, work more creatively, and find more meaning in the work."
What techniques do YOU use to manage an overload of tasks after being out of the office?