The thing is, she was so busy flying through her task list that she was skimping on processes and details. More often than not, the jobs she considered done needed to be fixed or redone. But because she would also speed through those processes, she was often asked to fix things multiple times.<\/p>\n
At this point, staff members would get frustrated and take their tasks back. Over time, it became apparent this was more efficient than continuing to:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Explain the assignments over and over<\/li>\n
- Issue warnings about the consequences of mistakes<\/li>\n
- Coach her on how to slow down and work more deliberately<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Eventually, most people stopped giving her anything of substance because it was easier and less risky to just do those things themselves. Her focus on speed and multitasking kept her from gaining more advanced skills and experience.<\/p>\n
Quality results take time<\/h3>\n
Our society places a huge value on working quickly, doing multiple things at once, and being constantly accessible. But all of these things can cause your work to suffer.<\/p>\n
If your team operates at a frenetic pace all the time, you could be holding your business back. People will become frustrated, mistakes will increase, and accidents will be more likely to happen. More importantly, goals that could be achieved through thoughtful intention, detailed planning, and diligent follow-through will remain unmet. And that\u2019s no good for anybody.<\/p>\n
So how do we retrain our brains (and our teams!) to work more carefully, thoughtfully, and efficiently?<\/p>\n
One thing at a time<\/h3>\n
While it\u2019s somewhat popular to boast of being a great multitasker, it\u2019s not as great as one might think. There are lots of articles<\/a> and studies about the myth of multitasking:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Research has shown that multitasking takes as much as 40 percent more time than focusing on one task at a time — more for complex tasks.<\/li>\n
- One study<\/a> revealed that people who were considered heavy multitaskers were actually worse at sorting out relevant information from irrelevant details.<\/li>\n
- Still not convinced? Try this little exercise<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Get in the habit of focusing on a single task. Schedule time on your calendar or even set a timer if you need to. Commit to working on one thing in that time period and one thing only.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t start before you\u2019re ready<\/h3>\n
Is your mind starting to work on an assignment even before the person explaining it to you is finished? This is your first mistake. Pay attention. Listen carefully. Make sure you fully understand the project, the process, and the purpose.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions before and during the process. Clarity is your friend. Taking five minutes to discuss details as you go can save you tons of time in the long run. Many speedy employees have had to go back and rework things they thought were \u201cfinished\u201d because they either jumped in too fast or didn\u2019t slow down long enough to get the facts.<\/p>\n
Prioritize<\/h3>\n
Yes, you have a million things to do. So does everybody else. But working in a scattershot manner won\u2019t help you get the right things done at the right time. For that, you need a plan.<\/p>\n
Work with your team to determine which items are the most important and the most time-sensitive. Rank your daily or weekly tasks so that you know which ones to funnel your time, efforts, and energy into. Choose one thing that you will get done, no matter what. If you find yourself getting sidetracked or distracted, refocus on your priority item of the moment.<\/p>\n
Reduce distractions<\/h3>\n
Even with the best intentions, we all get distracted. But some of us are better than others at letting those distractions in\u2014 or keeping them out. Are you constantly checking your phone, texts, and email? If so, you\u2019re using up valuable time and brain space switching back and forth between your inputs and outputs.<\/p>\n
Questions, phone calls, and emails take a huge toll on your focus.<\/p>\n
- \n
- According to one research study<\/a>, it takes approximately 20 minutes to return to a task after an in-person interruption, 15 minutes for a phone call interruption, and 64 seconds after an email interruption.<\/li>\n
- The same study found that workers were dealing with email interruptions about every five minutes.<\/li>\n
- This means we are wasting one out of every six minutes per day\u2014 not counting phone calls and in-person questions!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Want to focus on a task? Put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Turn off your email alerts. Hide your Slack. The world won\u2019t end if you\u2019re offline for 15 or 20 minutes. And you\u2019re much more likely to make real progress.<\/p>\n
Take your time<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re having brain surgery, do you want it to go quickly or well? There\u2019s a big difference here. If you care about the quality of your work, don\u2019t skimp out on the time it takes to do it well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Content provided by <\/em>Q4iNetwork<\/em><\/a> and partners<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
Photo by Dima Sobko<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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- Still not convinced? Try this little exercise<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n