Sequential tasking: Stop multitasking, stop task-ception
Have you ever played to the parentheses game? It is quite simple. I’ll write opening and closing parenthesis. At the end of the line, you’ll have to say if all opening ones have a corresponding closing one. Ok, let’s start!
() () () (
Meh, too simple. Just the last one has no closing one.
Ok, you’re good. A little more complicated:
(()(())(
Less easy, but there is two missing parentheses.
You’re right. Now, a last one.
(())()()((()()(()()()()((())))()()
Herm… well, uh… that’s complicated. I’d say…
Just give up, that’s not important. What matters here is that the last example is really complex. Hard to know where you are. Do you agree?
Actually, this is exactly the same with multitasking. Consider an opening parenthesis as the beginning of a task, and a closing one its completion.
Imagine yourself starting a task. In the middle of it, you realize you have something to do, may it be related or not. You start this second task, just leaving the first one in pause. No luck, in the middle of the second one, you tell yourself you had to do something else that is very important. Etc.
You’re opening parentheses. Way too many parentheses. At the end of the day, you’ll have a head like a water melon, and I bet you won’t be successful in accomplishing every single task you have started. The day after, you’ll probably have to continue these many tasks you have started, and you’ll fast have the impress to have thousand things to do. Your mental charge will be high, and you’ll be tired way too soon. Not so good, isn’t it?
Do you remember my first example? There was never two nested opening parentheses. This is simple. A very simple model. Too simple, you’ll tell me? I don’t think so. Actually, the trick is simple yet powerful.
Just start your first task of the day. In the middle of it, you have something new to do. You tell yourself this is really nothing to do, just 10 minutes. Postpone it. For real. Take a todo list (or whatever that is relevant for you, ideally the Getting things done methodology), write it down, and continue your started task. You’ll do that new task once the started one is finished. Nothing more, just that easy. If you don’t believe me, just give it a try.
What are the benefits? You reduce your mental charge. You don’t have thousands things to keep in mind. Your task is straightforward. You won’t have to pause a task to get back to it later, trying to remember everything you had to know to perform the task. You’ll complete the task in the shortest time ever. And at the end of the day, you’ll have no more that one pending task, in the worst case. The day after, it will be freaking easy to continue it.
Ok, but what if my task is really complex? What if I have to count on people that cannot help me immediately and that I have to wait for?
This will be explained in a later article. In short, cut your task in smaller pieces. Just have atomic tasks. I mean, the smallest tasks possible. You’ll have the satisfaction to complete a lot of work (believe me, that matters really), and it will be easy to follow. Your tasks will be short. You’ll be able to organize them. And if you have to wait for someone… Just put it in your todo list. Don’t let pending tasks in your head.
In short, the method is simple: write simple, atomic tasks. Don’t let them pending. Finish them before starting something new. Postpone a new task if you already are in another one.
I promise you’ll be less tired and less stressed.
