Multitasking Is The Fastest Way To Bad Performance

multitaskOn the television show “M*A*S*H,” when Major Winchester makes his first appearance on the show, Colonel Potter assigns him a difficult patient. When the other doctors want to know why it went to him, Winchester explains, “I do one thing at a time. I do it very well and then I move on.”

This attitude may seem counterintuitive in an age of e-mail, texting, constant interruptions, and multiple deadlines, but numerous studies have shown that the key to efficiency and quality is to one thing at a time. When your focus is split between multiple jobs, your brain never focuses on any one of them. Instead, even as you are doing one job, your brain is splitting its processing between the job in front of you and the others you are also working on.

Prioritize your work and take care of items one at a time. If one job seems particularly difficult or time consuming, do it first. As Brian Tracy explains in “Eat This Frog,” if you do the hardest task of the day first, the rest of the day seems easy. By creating a prioritized list you focus your energy on what needs to be done first, then your mind won’t wander to other priorities.

Do one thing at a time. Do it very well, and then move on.

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