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Do you feel like you have too many tabs open in your brain?
Image by Jason-Salmon
Psychologists have described flow as an ecstatic feeling, being totally engaged with an activity you enjoy. Good productivity habits minimize interruptions in flow.
The average American uses up to 3 mobile devices daily. The untethering of people to these devices has made productivity shoot up. Multitasking slows down your productivity because moving from unfinished task to unfinished task means every time, you need to look back to see where you left off and where to start and all those seconds add up to minutes decreasing your productivity by up to 40%.
Only about 2% of people can successfully multi-task Click To TweetSlow down to be more productive
People also need time to think and reflect on their work so they can be more intentional and less reactive.
Sometimes, task switching is unavoidable – an important phone call at work or children hurting themselves at home. Whenever it’s possible, try to limit distractions and block out time to work on a specific task, and only that task.
Multi-tasking is seen as a badge of honour but really, it slows down everything and creates open loops in the day. Reteaching yourselves and your children how to focus on one thing at a time is going to be the single most critical skill for the next few decades. When focus remains on a single task, it can be completed, producing a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
Physical vs mental multi-tasking
Brain research indicates that you can have several motor programs running at the same time. (Your Creative Brain ) So you can steer your car, talk to passengers and adjust your rearview mirror simultaneously. Unfortunately, you can only focus your conscious mental attention on one of these things at a time. You can multitask physically, but not mentally. We think sequentially so we should work sequentially.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
The fatigue factor affects productivity
By Harold Taylor
Working long hours makes you good at one thing – working long hours. It does not increase either your efficiency or effectiveness. Any anticipated increase in personal productivity is usually offset by a lower work pace, additional errors, more frequent self-generated distractions, decreased creativity, and a decline in energy and motivation.
Long hours can reduce productivity
If the increased working hours, reduces the total amount of sleep that one gets, it could also impact their physical and mental health – causing obesity, diabetes, memory impairment, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a weakened immune system.
Sleep deprivation can affect your health
The total output does not vary directly with the amount of time worked. If you cut one-third off your working hours, for instance, you would not cut one-third off your output. In fact, for those people working 12 hours per day, a reduction to eight hours may not result in any perceivable drop in total output. Productivity, (output per hour) would actually increase.
Overwork, lack of sleep and energy drain can cause accidents as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US estimates that drowsy drivers cause 100,000 accidents, 71,000 injuries and 1550 fatalities each year.
In January 2011 an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Zurich made a sudden descent, injuring 14 passengers and two crew members when a fatigued pilot mistakenly believed the plane was on a collision course with another aircraft.
In general, people need to shorten their working hours and lengthen their sleeping and resting hours – and this usually entails turning off their electronic devices sooner at night.
How long do you think our work week or each workday should be for the best outcome at work and in our personal life?
Need help planning routines to help shorten your day book a 30 minute chat with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
