The multiple activities crammed into our day and the constant switching
between them make us very tired.
Our morning routine consists of checking emails, browsing Facebook, reading
Twitter, watching Instagram, drinking coffee, Googling, checking notifications,
more coffee, and so on.
The multiple activities crammed into our day and the constant switching
between them make us very tired.
This switching is exhausting. It uses up oxygenated glucose in the
brain, running down the same fuel that has needed to focus on a task.
That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel
tired much more quickly than if we sustain attention on one thing. We tend to
eat more and drink more coffee. Often what we really need in that moment is just
a break.
Studies have found that people who take 15-minutes breaks every couple of
hours end up being more productive. These breaks must allow for mind wandering,
whether you are walking, staring out the window, listening to music or reading.
Everyone gets there in a different way.
There is some differences: If we are doing something on autopilot, such
as the laundry, then it makes perfect sense to read a book at the same time. Attempting
to do two challenging tasks at once will lead to a drain in productivity. We
cannot do two demanding, even simple tasks, in parallel.
The solution is to give up on multitasking and set aside dedicated
chunks of time for each separate activity.
Let us try to check our email in the morning and again at midday and set
aside 10 minutes per afternoon for social networks.
Let me know what happens…
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