In my local service company, we get busy and we get slower at different times of the year. It can make for a more hectic or quieter office.
But my crews or service people who are on the road never notice. Why? Because they get their task for the day, and that’s all they have to focus on right now. It doesn’t matter whether they have no job for tomorrow or if we have three months of work scheduled for them to do.
I don’t know about you, but when I have multiple things to do at once, that’s when I get frazzled and stop enjoying what I am doing; that’s when I don’t do my best on each task. When I am trying to do something and I get interrupted, or papers in my view are beckoning for my attention as I give it to another task, it reduces my effectiveness, the quality of my work, and my satisfaction in what I am doing. Add digital distractions on top and I have split my potential into fragments that are smaller than what I am capable of. My creativity is out the window.
The answer – monotasking. One thing at a time. Be like my crews. It doesn’t matter how many things are stacked up behind me to do, I focus on one thing at a time. Sure, I prioritize when I plan my days, and may make adjustments to what’s next for me on the fly, but my mind can only focus on one thing at a time, and pretending that is not the case is only fooling myself, bringing the quality of my work down, and making me unhappy.
When you get overwhelmed, remember – one thing at a time.