Time Efficiencies To Start Today

Hey (first name),

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I need to apologize for something.  As much as I talk about being more efficient and getting more stuff done in less time…I realized that I have not been hard enough on multitasking.  

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Multitasking is the bane of modern knowledge worker’s existence.  This is why serfs in medieval times worked fewer hours than the average person today (let alone us lawyers)

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So let’s start here - NEVER multitask.  Except for in the one scenario that I will share after (because like all good laws, we need an exception to prove the rule)

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(Title) The Myth of Michelangelo's Multitasking Mutants 🐢

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Imagine if the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tried mastering pizza-making, skateboarding, and ninja-fighting all at once. Sounds chaotic, right? 

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In fact, let’s try something, pause now and get a pen and a sheet of paper.  (I know…it’s 2023…who has a pen…but bare with me).

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Write the following line:  Multitasking is not a thing

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How long did that take you?  5 seconds?

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Let’s try another:  I will NEVER multitask again

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Maybe another 5 seconds.

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Now try to write both of them at the same time where you write the first letter of the first line, then the first letter of the second line, then the second letter of the first line.  Etc.

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Feel free to stop whenever you’d like.  It’s freaking hard right?

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That’s because multitasking is a myth!  And forget the fact that you end up forgetting both things you are doing WAY sooner than if you did them one at a time…

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A report from the American Psychological Association highlights that multitasking can reduce productivity by as much as 40%.

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So, Leonardo and co. would probably end up with burnt pizzas and some sore ankles.

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So if you want to do worse work, forget it faster, AND waste time trying to switch focus back and forth…then keep multitasking.  Instead I’ll be over here with the cool kids who get stuff done and enjoy life by doing things one at a time.

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That’s what we are talking about today, 5 ways to ACTUALLY get more done in the same amount of time.  Let’s start with the exception.

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(Title) EXCEPT for Dual-Training with Luke & Leia ⭐️

Now, while genuine multitasking might be as real as a lightsaber, there are ways to combine activities that don’t require simultaneous concentration.  Ever thought of listening to podcasts while doing your daily jog around Cloud City? Or perhaps catching up on case laws while commuting in your Millennium Falcon?  Someone smarter than me referred to it as exercising your brain WITH your body.  So when it comes to doing two things at once - this is the (only) way.

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