The BIGG Successs Show
Can You Walk And Chew Gum At The Same Time?
Today we are taking multi-tasking to task. Read the show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today we ask, "Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?" The Big Success Show, with George and Mary Lynn. Researchers at UCLA did a study, and they asked people to sort index cards with various shapes on them. They divided the participants into two groups. The first group sorted their cards in silence. The second group was asked to listen to and count beeps while they sorted. Here's what they found, Mary Lynn. Both groups were able to sort pretty much equally well. But the second group had a much harder time remembering what they had sorted than the first group. So does that mean that working on a project, while watching my email come in, while I call you to let you know that I'm going to be late, might affect my performance on the project? According to the study, a resounding yes. Well, common sense tells you that, too. Yeah, so why do we all try to do so many things at once? Well, because we can, George. And it's easy to get distracted, bored, oh, and then there's procrastination. Well, I also think there's this perception that somehow it's a competitive advantage, that today we're supposed to be able to do all kinds of things all at once and do them very well. The technology's there. George makes it easy. But it's not productive, and that's the important thing. We have to be effective and efficient. And in addition to loss of quality, multitasking can be costly. Yeah, because according to the University of Michigan, they found that even with the simplest of tasks, it takes time to mentally switch from one to the other. And more complex tasks take even more time to switch. Your brain needs a breather, bottom line. Yeah, and sometimes my brain needs a big breather. With 2G, right? Oh, really? Yeah. So your brain will take that breather with or without you. And according to this study, the brain breather may only take a second, could be up to a minute, which doesn't sound like much, but how many times a day do we do this? You said brain breather. That's kind of a tongue twister. I know. Well, not to mention the way the brain works. When we're multitasking, we have to focus on concentrating rather than actually concentrating. And the studies also show that it boosts stress hormones in our brain. So in the short run, we get less done, and in the long run, it's bad for us. So are these studies saying that we should never multitask because I don't think that's possible? Well, let's get back to our original question. Can you walk and chew gum at the same time? Well, according to the research, most of us should be able to do that. I may not be one of those. I don't know. But anyway, most of us should be able to do that. The reason is because it's so automated, it's become so much a part of our routine. We've done it over and over and over, so we don't really have to think about it. Well, a lot of us don't even think about checking email. That's become routine to switch over. Well, you're right, Marilyn, but there is a difference, and that is you've added a second human being into the equation. If you're going to communicate effectively, you have to understand what they're saying and what they're leaving unsaid in order to respond and convey the message that they will understand. So in other words, you have to think. That's it, exactly. So how did those of us who are addicted to multitasking change our ways? We've got some suggestions for that coming up. Today we're talking about a couple studies that show that multitasking isn't effective or efficient. So how do you get past it? Well, here's one solution, Marilyn. Hi, I'm George. The first step is to admit and acknowledge. And hi, George, I'm Mary Lynn. Welcome. I just recently downloaded -- this is so funny -- a browser that allows me to be able to monitor my Twitter friends, my Facebook. While there's a stream of the most recent flickers going across the top, there's probably a bazillion other things I could do with that browser. See, now everybody knows why we're doing this show. The second solution is this. And, Marilyn, you're going to like this. Out of sight, out of mind. That's right. I don't have that browser open when I'm working. That's my fun browser. Well, and that's a good point because you're looking at it the right way. Make it a reward for getting something more important on, which actually brings us to our third solution, a time for everything and everything in its time. Right. What's most important right now? And you've got to work on that exclusively. And when you find yourself getting ready to check that email or zip over to Twitter or Facebook, then just ask yourself if that's more important. Yeah, because what you're already working on is important based on the future you visualize. You're climbing that stairway to success. So what you need to accomplish right now for your long term goals is what you need to work on right now. So tell us what you think. Share your big challenges. Offer your big solutions about multitasking. And by the way, the one time that you can multitask is to listen to the big success show while you continue accomplishing other things. There you go. Because what we have to say really isn't that important. Now, wait a minute. You can get a written summary of today's show on our blog at big success.com. And that's also where we have links to the studies that we mentioned today on the show. And before we go, let's get our big quote for the day. Well, our quote today, Mary Lynn, has been claimed by nobody. Okay. And I think you'll understand that when you hear it. It's actually the definition of multitasking. And here it is, screwing up everything simultaneously. Oh, that's a good one. So make sure you stay focused so you only screw up one thing at a time. That's exactly it. Such an optimist, aren't we? Just being honest, George. Next time, we're going to share an ancient Chinese secret to solve all of your problems. We think you'll be surprised at how simple it is. Ancient Chinese secret, huh? Until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com. ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ [Music]