Getting inside multitasking & taming the 'monkey mind' for better productivity

It’s morning! Let’s get ready for the day; Heck, I am already late.

Today I must do all thing simultaneously as possible à Brushing teeth, boil eggs, ironing shirt, switching on the toaster... Ahh! Now everything is running, let me take a bath quickly. And at this very moment toast gets popped up burnt! Damn!

How many of us try to do this in daily life? I guess everyone!

Well, we often claim this as “multitasking” !

Simply doing work concurrently is Multitasking. Which we think we can, but we realize each time distinctively and repents why I did this mess and thought to become robot at first place.

Now the examples of mine is the failure of multitasking but let’s have one more example where sort of multitasking would be exciting :-

Once I was in a restaurant and trust me it was in the weeds (running out of tables). We call up a waiter and here the magic starts – he was listening to our orders parallely focussing on the next table who is calling him, also keeping in mind the voice of owner in case of any priority jump in; these perhaps the ample of distractions, but they do it all because they have learnt to manage the cognitive flexibility and created a linearity of no. of tasks into single process.

How we see this -

We have always been told about that multitasking is a myth, happened to be a monkey mind, where it seems to be at the verge of distraction always. Switching back tasks again and again and not gaining the similar focus that were drawn before for the existing task and so on never ending failures.

We usually see this as a type of distraction, loosing productivity, inefficient time, and priority management.

We see multitasking as a type of failure too! sometimes; or lead to lose productivity.

We feel it will create chaos in our mind and distribute the focus at a level where we can’t find quality work.

I specifically here, won’t be talking about the multitasking and its repercussions but will be pitching the idea of using it and how it can be transformed to a more productive thing in our usual practices.

Let’s get into the insights to have more core vibration of how it should be done and transmutes it to a new definition. Let’s create it as a process in your trait which will reveal as an effective approach as and when required.

As we compare our daily life - we all do multitask consciously/sub-consciously trying to get more in less time. The way now our lives are wired we are indeed feeling to have less time for later tasks if we start focusing on each task at once. The way keeping both conscious and subconscious in a rhythm comes at this very point and seems realistic when we can create a synergy between.

To translate it in a simpler way let us assume when we are doing work with focus, we are on self-driving mode of thoughts and actions(Which our daily set practices, engraved deep inside our minds). But doing other tasks simultaneously we unknowingly trigger autopilot mode - which seldom won’t bother to pay heed on.

One day I got down from a bus and got a call; Unknowingly, I walked all through the way towards home and after reaching home I wonder how I came up here without paying attention to the path. Well, some will tell this is your subconscious mind working on the pre fed memory, yes absolutely but this is a type of multitasking which comes from the auto pilot mode! being unaware about the process how did it go. 

We have distractions all over nearby us - comparing our house hold chores lets focus more on the modern careers where each individual get tons of mails collectively, office intercoms ringing again and again, people talking in your vicinity, our cells intermittently vibrates continuously of various social and connectivity app notifications, someone shouting why this printer is not working, someone calls you up from another cubicle for mere help, people swinging by your desk; These are all distractions & we are available to all the subjects nearby trying to acknowledging & observing everything; consistently we have to redirects ourselves to achieve the day.

Switching back and forth is another level of difficulty maintaining same focus band. This intently contributes to multitasking. Consequently, one would feel exertion which creates excessive pressure and stress as your time is running but taking away your concentrations too. 

In any case we must help ourselves to learn how to deal with these distractions because life doesn’t stop happening just because you are busy.”

Doing 2 or more work with similar intensified focus is kind of impossible considering the effectiveness of tasks.  (Source: Rescue times)

Researchers estimates that workers are interrupted every 11 minutes and then spend almost a third of their day recovering from these distractions.

Why generally people do or ended up doing multitasking:-

1.      Keeps them activated and motivated

2.      Haunting to do lists

3.      We think we can so we think we should

4.      Poor work/time management

5.      Getting sense of effectiveness

6.      Self-Apprehension on Sense of urgency

7.      Achieving more in Limited time availability

8.      Becoming a trait for entrepreneurs/Rising Leaders - Multitasking is a sign of a person’s ability to carry out many beneficial roles. It is hitting two birds with one stone! Multitasking is the display of strengths and positive attributes in a multiple number of ways at the same time.

Where it helps:-

1.      As a Performance booster – Multitasking -> activates you -> kick start your brain -> time conscious -> boosts efficiency; generally, would trigger more motivation and regenerates’ focus if done in conditioned manner.

2.      Machines who do multitasking are always welcomes in houses and industries – you have dedicated machines to one task it has already been obsoleted.

Thus, treating a professional environment as having less time and more work to do only multitasking would help in the same to achieve more.

3.      Multitasking creates a greater demand for cognitive resources, such as attention and working memory. Our brain activates more resources to meet those increased demands. Once our brain achieves a higher level of activation, it can use that extra energy in different ways because of cognitive flexibility.

4.      Even if its audacious to do concurrent tasks, people/employer value multitasking - They feel by this they can get more in less time & money investments. - If they have one multitasker who can work on different domains while also doing his work too, that’s save them a head count.

A boss goes to one teammate and asked for a quick task; he was busy and occupied and declined the task, whereas other mate who was equally occupied accepts the tasks and rearranged his tasks.

Its self-explanatory who would be the first choice for the boss for next tasks and upcoming tasks which opens the gate for new learning and opportunities.

Here’s a try to explore how we in general fall and reacts to multitasking -

I tried to plot the possibilities of us getting into multitasking. The measures are relatively focused on how our motivation deviates as per time and task progress keeping the energy band or focus into consideration.

We generally start a task with focus and gradually attains the completion while getting motivated about the task progress percentage. The motivation always deviates from slow steep to quick rapid in between the task progress when one would be able to sort out the end stage; let’s call it a S-curve.

Let’s get it through an example – when I was studying math and about to start a new exercise every time the first quest always takes up my time & focus, but when I was able to figure out it, the instant motivation rules out and continuously I was able to solve no. of similar type of problems.

This same s-curve explanation can be dedicated here in different cases of personas.

Persona 1 – (Single tasker) Person do tasks one by one keeping some space between tasks. Merit – Breathing space between task. Demerit – Focus drops after each task & Time taken to complete all the tasks are more

Persona 2 – (Continuous tasker) Person continuously working one tasks after another. Merit – After one task motivation is high and with the same motivation the other tasks eventually started and completed. Demerit – No breathing space

Persona 3 – (Multitasker) Person working on tasks utilizing the motivation to start new tasks in between the existing task. Merit – Achieving more in less time Demerit – Chance of fault. Packed timeline and to do list.

Rest I leave it to you guys which persona fits you and also let me know in your comments how you feel about these personas.

But nevertheless, this is personally validated that the thing which is most imp to you would have more focus.

How to tackle the monkey mind:-

Following these steps won’t guarantee you don’t multitask. But they will help you focus and give you the best chance of staying committed to seeing a task through to the finish line.

1.      Make it a habit - As stated by James clear in atomic habits

Habits reduce cognitive load and free up mental capacity, so you can allocate your attention to other tasks.

2.      Minimalistic and sorted workplace

3.      Have a desperate goal – Well recently I was watching Master chef episode (Same time when I started writing this blog) and the amount of multitasking I have seen was stunning.

Their goal is to prepare delicacy within time focusing on creativity, taste, naming the dish and prior to that deciding the ingredients, doing independent and interdependent process steps with focus – which signifies if you have one goal and all the different task associated to that one goal, then there is no harm of doing multitasking.

4.      Try to mitigate the priorities and focus- I remember my old days when I use to get notes from the black boards – at starting I was not able to write anything at all because I was trying to figure out whether I shall write or listen, once I figured out both are important – then I tried both simultaneously and try to prioritize what most important and later on practicing I was then able to write and listen both simultaneously at the same time. See just borrowing my attention by compromising on handwriting, ignoring the nearby voices and distractions.

5.      Train you mind –

Practice is essential to mastering the skill. Why? Because practice makes something seem routine, and when something is routine, it’s no longer stressful. Look at all the things you do in a day. Pick a few routine tasks to start with. As you master doing multiple routine things, then move on to slightly more difficult tasks. Gradually work up to the number of tasks you normally do.

During this process, remember that learning takes time. Very often people jump into a new task responsibility without gradually gearing up their workload. Then they wonder why they feel stressed and can’t multitask effectively.

6.      Set Priorities with Multitasking Management

Switching brain channels (focus) repeatedly actually reduces your memory recall. Think of your brain as a computer. Therefore, do not multitask if the assignment requires your full attention. Once that urgent or detailed task is complete, then you can go back to doing the other tasks you normally do. This step will save you lots of rework, as you’re more prone to make mistakes when your brain is overloaded.

7.      Train your mind to say single tasking instead of multitasking.

If you have no. of tasks, make them in a parallel way and collectively affirm it as a single task. By this you would get your mind tricked and will get a sense of conduct actively to support each task.

8.     Combine Similar Tasks to Work on at the Same Time.

Multitasking in and out itself is a complicated process. Many believe it can’t even be done! But in order to master effective multitasking, it’s vital that the tasks you’re working on have some similar thread. If your mind is going to be jumping around from task to task, it’s necessary that the tasks have something in common, as your short-term memory can only handle so much. Whether they are all a part of the same project, or they all involve the same process, keeping the tasks you’re working on similar will make it much easier to complete them effectively.

E.g. If you’re working on multiple projects, try to keep the content of each similar.

If they are of similar process try to run the steps of process parallely, find steps in process which are independent of the project and can be done. This is how you can clump the steps & independent tasks of same process together and can save time.

Multitasking is done in an efficient way can help you learn how to deal with distractions and interruptions—because life doesn’t stop happening just because you are busy

Bonus – Ask your MOM how she does everything

(M-Master, O- Of, M-Multitasking)