Are you watching the Bear’s game, filling out a contract, checking e-mail, talking on the phone, and planning your week all at the same time?  If this sounds like your work habits, your brain is in trouble.

Research at Stanford University by Dr. Clifford Nass and his team, to their surprise, found that when individuals attempt working on multiple projects they have trouble focusing on any one project. They have trouble controlling their memory and cannot switch from one task to another effectively.

The idea that if someone is a heavy multitasker is more productive was proven to be false. Surprisingly people who focus on one task for an extended period and then work on another project are far more productive.

What the researchers found was that when multitasking keeping information from different tasks separate in the mind was not possible.  Multitaskers were less efficient and took longer to finish the tasks compared to focusing for at least 20 minutes on one task.

The French medical research agency Insurm discovered that the brain has a two task limit to be effective.  Working on more than two tasks decreased the brain’s effectiveness.

To get more done focus on one or two tasks for at least 20 minutes or until the task is finished before switching.  To be more productive avoid distractions, have set times to check e-mail, check voice mail or preparing documents.

Question: What are some ways you improve your focus ?  You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Quote of the Week: “Juggling is an illusion. … In reality, the balls are being independently caught and thrown in rapid succession. … It is actually task switching.” ― Gary Keller

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