Juggling Too Many Tasks Results In Nothing Working
I’ve always prided myself on my ability to deftly multi-task, without much need for scheduling. What I didn’t realize was that there would eventually come a day when juggling too many tasks would cause the whole thing to come crashing down on me, with the end result of getting absolutely NOTHING done. Warning. Don’t let this happen to you.
My days and nights have become one long string of never-ending distractions. I end up doing so many things in one day, that nothing ever REALLY gets done. Projects started don’t get finished. Excellent ideas get pushed aside to make way for the distraction of the moment. I look around me and see a great plan that isn’t being carried out. That’s my fault. And that’s all going to change, starting today.
First things first. My new assistant brain, Sandy, has been given my new schedule, with instructions to send reminders of each task I must tackle, at the time I need to tackle it. (I spent several hours today creating this schedule, determining what needed to be done, creating a slot of time for each task, and determining how often it needed to be done. Some are daily, some weekly, etc).
Keep in mind that:
Creating a schedule is one part of the solution.
Having someone (Sandy) keep me on schedule is another part of the solution.
But the glue that holds this solution together is going to be the unplugging of the distractions.
During set hours of each day, I will unplug from the world. No IM. No Twitter. No forums. No email. No phones. No distractions of any kind, with the exceptions of true emergencies (i.e. somebody better need me to take them to the emergency room).
For several hours each and every day, I will focus solely on whatever task Sandy has reminded me of. Nothing else. No one else. Just That One Task. Get.It.Done.
Several hours will be devoted to times when I can be distracted. Communication will be turned back on. I’ll visit forums. I’ll participate in social networks. I’ll tweet, message, email, and phone. But when Sandy says it’s time to turn it all off…the switches will be flipped, and the time for uber-focusing will begin.
I’ve got a big master-plan brewing for 2008, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to let distractions get in the way. I decided to share this in case you needed to take a look at your own juggling act.
Are you doing so many things, that you aren’t doing anything?
If so, take some time to reconsider the juggling act you’ve got going on. It might be time to make a change.
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Posted on March 24th, 2008 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: GTD
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Setting priority would be preferable but yea that priority work should be done with extreme focus. I hope you mean same, isn’t it?
ooo I hear this one! I am not even a ‘Twit’ and still have a helluva time getting what I ‘think’ I should accomplish each day done. I am going to try that whole ‘unplugged’ thing this week….
I have an added one, being that I am a home office guy and that’s the little ones. Damned March break, 4 days on then 4 days off for Easter, it has been VERY tough to keep on schedule the last while (kids are 5&7)…
Nice post….gonna have to try ‘unplugged’ (start using the accoustic guitar)
Great post, Donna. It’s amazing how in effect giving control to something outside your control, like Sandy, really does work. You won’t argue with Sandy unless it’s really, really important. It’s like having a timer beside you and going to do something else when the timer goes off. Such ‘higher authorities’ are tough to disobey.
Nice find on Sandy, Donna! I’m going to “hire” Sandy myself, I think. Between family, day job and my personal aspirations, I find myself in a similar boat to yours… I get to the end of the day, I’m exhausted so I know I must have done *something*, but I’ll be darned if I can figure out what it was or point to any substantive accomplishments. This is going to change in 2008. Sandy looks to be another useful helper toward that goal.
My husband has tried to convince me of this.
But I think sometimes I just want things to happen faster than they do. So it feels like nothings happening when really it’s just happening very slowly.
Perhaps if I broke them down better and focused on one at a time they might get done faster. Or they might not b/c I get bored so easily.
Well, it’s only been two days, but so far this is working out GREAT for me. I am cranking out work like never before, and feeling great afterwards.