What Blind Spot? The Lie of Multi-tasking
on Monday, June 13, 2011
Ever catch a glimpse of something in your peripheral vision out of the rear view window? Your blind spot is kind of like that. You know something is there but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
We all have one (or two more accurately according to neuroscience). We know that there are some areas we simply can not see. The brain doesn’t receive information in those areas and simply ignores them. Hmmmm…what about our professional blind spots? Can you ignore those? If so, at what cost?
Two weeks ago I received a gift from my online marketing coach. The gift? A book titled, The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done“. We shared a laugh and joked about the title but I was called to attention when he said…
“Kathie, you really should read this. I think your multi-tasking is a problem.”
Hint: A blind spot in plain sight.
I had two choices in that moment. I could be offended, outraged, self righteous, apologetic, promising to do better OR to recieve the feedback in the spirit it was given.
As Divine timing would have it, I was really ready for the message. I read the book within 24 hours and it confirmed what I’d been seeing and feeling on several levels.
- Multi-tasking is a lie. What we are really doing is switch tasking which costs us in time, productivity and money.
- Our overwhelm is fed by the myth that we can multi-task. (I will be adding another video to the “Breaking the Cycle of Overwhelm” series to address this sneaky little belief.) Haven’t seen the series? Click Here
- Multi tasking undermines our ability to be focused, present, and truly serve others. I saw the light. This was the game changer.
- When your Blackberry is out during a meeting where you can glance, text, etc. during a meeting, what message are you sending?
- When you have your laptop or iPad out and open during a meeting flipping screens between applications (you know what I’m talking about) what does that do to your effectiveness, level of engagement or learning in that situation?
- When you are on the phone, unless you are taking notes for the person you are speaking with, doing anything else reduces your presence, ability to engage, and deliver value. Ouch!
Could this be what is slowing you down on the way to getting what you want? Multi-tasking may not be your blind spot but it is an issue for most in the Western Culture. As soon as I read the book I committed to break the addiction to the lie that multi-tasking increases productivity and share it with my team. Note: it is an addiction that can be broken. What’s amazing is that I saw immediate results. You can too.
Unleash your brilliance on the world! It’s cool to be you. Every day.
------------------To your success!
Kathie Nelson
http://www.KathieNelson.com