By CJ McClanahan
If you watch just a little television, it’s likely that you’ve seen an AT&T advertising campaign featuring an actor, Beck Bennett, interviewing a table full of young children.
In the latest spot, Beck starts off by asking the kids, “What’s better, doing two things at once or just one?”
“Two!” the table shouts back. He then proceeds to watch a really funny young child wave his hand and shake his head at the same time.
The ad ends with AT&T touting the fact that their service allows you to talk and surf the web at the same time.
Here’s the problem. The research is fairly clear – you can’t do two things at the same time. So, if you’re on the phone with someone and decide to surf the internet you stop doing one and concentrate on the other.
The same is true when you are driving and texting, talking on the phone and checking your e-mail or watching TV while your spouse is trying to have a conversation.
Unfortunately, the world has convinced us that doing only one thing at a time is lazy. We should all maximize our productivity by multitasking.
Unfortunately, this multitasking is hurting, not helping your productivity.
Here’s why.
Every time you are working on a complex task that requires your concentration (spreadsheet, estimate, important e-mail, etc.) and you interrupt that task, there is now ample data indicating that it takes you between eight and 21 minutes to get your concentration back to the same level before the disruption.
That’s right, between eight and 21 minutes.
Ever wonder why the most productive time of your entire week is between 6 and 8 a.m. or 6 and 8 p.m.?
Here’s some simple advice. When you are working on anything that requires you to pay close attention, eliminate all distractions. Turn off your phone, shut your door and click that little red “x” at the upper left hand corner of your email program. I promise: You always re-open the program.
As with most things in life, the solution is simple. All you need to do is execute.