The facts about Switchtasking in business

Has this ever happened to you?

You are deep in conversation with a friend or business associate. Suddenly a distraction; the mobile rings, a waitress serves your latte … The distraction ends, you both look up at each other and say, ”What were we talking about?”

When you jump from one activity to another and then back again, you are Switchtasking. Yes you are very clever juggling tasks in the air, but the truth is – you are wasting valuable time and productivity.

Switchtasking wastes a whopping 28%.

According to Basex Research, the average time lost per week to Switchtasking is a whopping 28%. If you own or run a business, this method of working could cost you more than time and money, it could also cost you your health and well being.

“But isn’t that multitasking,” I hear you say? Multitasking itself is a myth. Unless it’s a hardwired task (like driving a daily route and singing a song), the brain actually has to switch from one task to the next and back again if you are ‘multitasking’.

So, what’s the alternative?

How do you handle the influx of data and information that comes every day? How do we deal with the distractions, how do we free up all that time wasted bouncing from one issue to the next? The answer: Personal Operating Systems. With your own business you tend to think about marketing, tax plans, suppliers… but have you thought about your own systems?

Effective systems can free up your time to concentrate on your Valued Activities.

Here are two tips directly from the Productivity Boot Camp program.

1)      Firstly. Are you aware of what you are doing? Try to notice how often you Switchtask. How long does it take you to refocus on each activity?

2)      Identify your valued activities. Then set specific times for your most valuable activities and focus for that period of time without checking emails or answering phones.

There are many practical systems that support you and organize your space. Don’t accept the piles of paper on your desk and the barrage of emails that fight for your attention. You control your time, not the other way around.