Women are multi-taskers who juggle a hundred things as deftly as a juggler!
How proud I felt reading this statement! I would pat myself on the back for accomplishing 5 tasks simultaneously. But, not once did I think about the frustration and irritation that would overcome me as I managed those 5 tasks. What an idiot I was!
I am sure all of us are guilty of multitasking and feeling good about it, too. Rarely do we ponder how we harass our brain as we try to do so.
Have you observed how exasperated you are when there are 10 things demanding your attention and when you try to give all those 10 things your time?
Imagine yourself in the kitchen/work table, when your kid or someone asks for some help. Wanting to fulfill their wish and completing the job at hand, you do both these things, simultaneously. And, just then, something else comes up.
Even as you try to do these three things together, your breathing becomes shallow, your heart-rate increases, you lose your attention and you feel your frustration rising by the minute. So, at the end of it all, what have you achieved that’s worth patting your back?
You managed to complete your work, fulfil people’s wish and some more work, but ended up tiring yourself–body and mind. Especially, mind.
According to research…
1. Our brain works efficiently while doing one task at a time.
2. We are most productive as we focus only on that one task.
3. We complete the task quicker and to our satisfaction.
4. And, doing that one task takes far less time than doing ten things to save time.
Multi-tasking not only affects your productivity and efficiency, it also affects your mood. How crabby we are when we juggle multiple tasks at a time!
Irritation, frustration, inefficiency, lack of productivity, terrible moods, and exhaustion–this is what you get when you multi-task.
Why would you want to suffer from all of these, anyway? You won’t be receiving any medals for being so “competent”, will you?
Instead,
Be mindful of what you do when you do it.
Focus on the task at hand and immerse yourself completely in it.
This way, you will not only give it your 100%, but enjoy it, too.
Mindfulness improves your concentration, productivity and efficiency and reduces mental and physical fatigue.
Self-care means taking care of yourself and your mental and physical well-being, and when you multi-task, you are doing the exact opposite.
Here are 10 easy steps to avoid the burnout caused by multitasking:
1 Prepare a To-Do List first thing in the morning or before going to sleep the night before.
2 When you get down to tackling the to-do list, begin with the most important task.
3 The morning freshness will help you focus on that important (and often the most challenging) task with ease.
4 Once you are done with that one task, check it off the list and then move on to the next.
5 Take a short 10 minutes break after completing 3 tasks (at least).
6 Get all your tasks for the day on the list–even the tiniest, least important ones.
7 DO NOT grumble if you aren’t able to tick off all the tasks on your list.
8 Move the unfinished tasks to the next day.
9 Be mindful of what you do and enjoy it to the fullest. Being aware of your thoughts will help you be mindful.
10 Learn to say “NO” when you know you can’t give your time to give to someone. Respecting yourself and your time will help you stay safe from the burnout.
Remember: TIME is a precious commodity that needs to be valued and respected by each of us. When we give someone our time, we keep our work aside to do something for others. Valuing your time will teach you to value other’s time, as well as others to value yours. This way, neither will you be exhausted bending backward nor will you suffer from guilt.
Love,
SHILPA…
I am participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge and my theme this year is ‘SELF-CARE’.
You will find my posts here.
I’ve often been guilty of this… Taking on too much and then resorting to multi tasking to get everything done.
Doesn’t end well most of the time and yes, the stress levels are too much, often physically exhausting me.
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And, especially for you, Roshan, there must be a never-ending to-do list! You ought to learn to chill, doc! 😛
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Yes, this happens a lot with me. Often because I end up taking more things than required. And I have to multitask in order to finish all them. This leaves me so tired and exhausted at the end of the day. Though I try to not multitask I end up multitasking.
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Hehehe….Reema, you need to take things a little bit easy, my dear!
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I am so guilty of multitasking..
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🙂 I was, too!
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I think most women are wired multi-task. The problem is that we keep taking on more and more! I’m learning to take things easy these days.
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I too think so, Corinne! Maybe it’s because there are a hundred things packed in our daily schedules as compared to, well, men–if I may say so–and that’s why we try to do those things all at once.
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Multitasking often gets to me with the burden of doing so many chores at one time. I am borrowing a leaf from you and will attend to the most pressing needs. Thank you for writing this post, Shilpa.
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That will be a good change, Vishal!
Thanks so much!
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🙏
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I have consciously stopped multi-tasking for months now. In fact I said the same on a FB live session with Blogchatter. I do my best when I can focus on a task. When I multitask , it is superficial and my efforts are divided leading to mediocrity.
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Precisely! When we multi-task, we know things aren’t going as we had envisioned and that we are doing things just because we have to!
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I learned this a really hard way last year! I almost lost my sanity in trying to do too many things at once. I thought I was losing my control on things, but the human mind and body can only handle so much.
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It’s because we crave control over everything that we tend to multi-task…that’s what I feel. Maybe we need to let go of stuff, and learn to take it easy.
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True, multi-tasking isnt good for productivity. While we may take pride in accomplishing many things at once, but it isnt true, as we waste a lot of time. I believe in focusing on the activity at hand.
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That’s something I learnt after driving myself insane trying to accomplish hundred things all at once! 🙂
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I would love to do only one task at a time, but it’s not always possible. Sometimes I do manage 2-3 tasks simultaneously quite well. 🙂
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True, sometimes it isn’t possible, but I still see if I can avoid doing them all at once. If I can, I just take in a deep breath and go ahead, hoping I don’t lose it by the end. 🙂
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If these tasks are related to each other, then I can manage at the same time. Otherwise, I get totally overwhelmed and forget what I was doing in the first place.
Loved your correlation with mindfulness towards the later part. Was thinking of exactly that while reading your post.
Find my Q post @ 7 Must-Try Quirky Food Combinations | Weird Food Combinations That Taste Amazingly Delicious
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If the tasks are related, I still try and avoid mixing them….It leaves me frustrated! 😛
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Shilpa this series of yours is a sure way to inspire your readers to lead a more meaningful and productive life. Thanks 🙏
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Aww…thank you, Sunita! It’s just something that I thought we all need from time to time–encouragement and a reminder to look after ourselves, too. 🙂
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