Time management : Focus on ONE thing at a time

We live in a world that thrives on fragmented time. Multi-tasking is glorified, and being able to juggle several activities at the same time is considered an asset and a positive characteristic.

Completing a task is more important, however, and for that to be achieved one has to prioritize and manage their time efficiently.

As we’re connected 24/7 to some form of online activity, it appears as if everything can be a few keystrokes away.

The problem is, that a few keystrokes at a time repeated several hundred times a day, lead to thousands of keystrokes that chop up a single task into an endless array of micro-tasks.

Efficiency isn’t measured solely by the time it takes to complete a job. Quality is important, such as the ability to follow the guidelines and specifications of a given task.

The solution is simple: ditch multi-tasking by completing one task at a time, taken from a list of priorities.

Begin by defining that list, so that you can check off the tasks that are important. While you’re focused on that one task, other tasks might arrive. It sounds counter-productive to ignore them, and focus on what you do, until it’s complete, but it’s the best way to get things done from A to Z.

For this approach to succeed, you need to retrain yourself to ignore obvious distractions: emails, notifications, SMS and social media notices. If you must, turn them off, or turn off the volume of the medium that delivers them. Dings, beeps, music intros, all these digital alerts want a slice of your time, sucking up your attention away from that one task you’re attempting to complete.

You can do it.

This post was written all while my phone bleeped, my Facebook notices turned red, Twitter dinged several times and someone left a voicemail to my phone. It was completed, however, in one go, hopefully providing my insight and some substance that will help you get on with your time management better.

I’d like to recommend a great book, that helped me restructure my approach to tackling tasks: The ONE thing.

I had to check my Amazon for that one.