Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips

Another day, another writing project.  This time, Ben Yoskovitz at Instigator Blog issued the challenge with The Ultimate Guide to Productivity Group Writing Project.  Since productivity r us at this blog, nothing short of active participation is acceptable. 

A few examples of the kinds of suggestions the project is eliciting:  Adam Kayce talked about clarity at Monk at Work.  At Essential Keystrokes, Char wrote about procrastination and perfection before I got around to it.  Wendy Piersall brings up the concept of leverage (aka threatening one’s self) at eMoms At Home. 

No doubt there will be many who will think me a twenty-first-century heretic when they see what I’m about to say, but I’ll take my chances.  The most productive thing we can do for ourselves is to STOP MULTI-TASKING. 

When you think about it (and only it), the psyche responds well when it’s not being barraged from all sides.  Our minds are miracles; they are not, however, machines.  Our minds will give us remarkable performances, but they need the comfort of concentration. 

Some will argue that multi-tasking saves time.  I will argue that it does not and cannot.  Think about it:  switching between tasks takes a lot of mental power, it eats at acuity, it saps energy.  If two tasks take an hour each to complete when worked separately, they’ll probably take two and a half hours if they’re worked at the same time. 

Whether it’s washing the car, writing the chapter of a book, or roasting a chicken, everything we do bears our names.  If  we’re willing to claim the work as being ours, we want to put the best work forward. 

Phillip Earl Stanhope said, “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well”.  Something can only be done well if it’s the focus, the point.

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Now, I'll pass this worthy project to some people I think will do it justice:  Easton Ellsworth, Tony Clark, Steve Fisher, Carma Dutra, Connie Reece.