Method 5: Book Review

"The Myth of Multi-Tasking" by Dave Crenshaw.

The Premise
While we think we're multi-tasking, or completing many tasks at the same time, we're actually switch-tasking; jumping back and forth between tasks. People lose up to 50% of their time on this inefficient system. The system is inefficient because when we take time to make the switch.

(Next time you're interrupted from working on something that takes your full attention, pay attention to how long it takes you to switch back and forth.)

The book also gives a few methods for chronic switch-taskers to improve their efficiency (read: stop switch-tasking). The most important are:

1. Set up recurring appointments with those people who interrupt you most often.
2. Set up 'shop hours' so people know when you will be available next

The idea is that people interrupt you most often because they're afraid they won't be able to pin you down again until after you are needed. By setting up regular appointments with those who interrupt you most frequently you are turning them from an interruption to a primary activity. They will hold onto issues until your next meeting instead of running to you the second they pop-up.

Setting shop hours is like recurring meetings, only the attendees are not always the same. You say "I will listen to ideas/complaints at 10am, 1pm and 4pm." That way people get your full attention and do not get nervous they'll never see you again.

Opinion

The book never addresses whether or not true multi-tasking is possible, it does mention 'background tasking', for example listening to music while you jog. Listening to music is passive in this instance, and as a result it can be successfully completed while doing your primary task of jogging.

As always, I'm skeptical. I believe that many activities we do can become background processes with enough practice, or the right kind of methods for doing them. Though writing (like I'm doing right now) demands my full attention, doing the dishes doesn't necessarily, so long as I have a system down that will ensure that I will not be able to leave food remnants on the plates.

Of course, the dishwasher would completely count in this case ;).

Application


I am reminded of a former boss of mine. An absolutely brilliant woman who was almost incapable of completing anything because her day consisted entirely of interruptions. She was so disorganized even those people with appointments were treated as interruptions. Her job was very broad in scope, and as a result everyone in the organization constantly needed a piece of her.

Recommendation

I would recommend this book to people like her. For myself, however, I am a very organized person, and I have yet to be in a position where I felt as disorganized as I would need to be in order to require the changes recommended in this book.