A lot of people think they are very good at multi-tasking, at juggling multiple tasks all at the same time, but I think that’s a myth. I used to do it, I used to do it and power through things and juggle multiple tasks at the same time, and I think I was quite good at it.
But then four years ago I had a brain injury and I actually couldn’t physically do it anymore and I learned there’s a lot about neuro-scientific research and learned that our brains are not actually designed that way.
So, the way I focus on one task at a time is, I set a time for about 25 minutes, that’s my sweet spot where I can focus on one task, do the task for 25 minutes, then I give myself a reward.
I give myself a 3-5 minute short break and set the timer again for another 25 minutes, then after 4 sets of those 25 minutes tasks, I’ll schedule a longer break for half hour or so, and during the short breaks I like to get up and do something completely different.
I’ll do something like jogging or anything to get me up and moving, and get my brain in a different place because changing our scenery and changing what our bodies are doing helps us think better.
Then during the long break I’ll reward myself with something a little longer, maybe a snack, maybe a cup of tea, maybe a walk around the block, maybe some exercise on my treadmill.
Although some people think that may not be productive, I find that that’s the way I add more time to my day and where I’m at my most productive.
By Ann Zuccardy, AZ Communications, LLC in New York, USA
