How to Be More Productive Without Burning Out

Have you ever tried to multitask, but found it didn’t work very well? Maybe you attempted to talk on the phone while also responding to an email, or carry on a conversation while you were texting someone else.

You probably noticed it wasn’t possible for you to do both of these things well.

Unfortunately, multitasking isn’t as effective as we’ve been told. But there is a much better way to get stuff done that will not only save you time, but will also preserve your energy to prevent burnout.

Why Multitasking doesn’t work

A research study conducted in 2009 set out to answer the question: how well do multitaskers multitask?

The team of researchers gave a group of students questionnaires to determine how often they multitasked and whether they’d perform better than low multitaskers. The results?

Multitaskers were outperformed on every measure. The conclusion we can draw is that multitasking is a lie.

Nearly everyone accepts it as an effective thing to do and it’s become so mainstream that people actually think it’s something they should do.

Do a simple search and you’ll find millions of pages offering advice on how to get better at it. Unfortunately, the truth is that multitasking is neither efficient nor effective. It’s much more likely to waste precious energy and make you more vulnerable to burnout.

The misconception that humans can effectively multitask began decades ago with the invention of computers. A whole new word was created to describe a computer’s ability to quickly perform many tasks.

When computers “multitask,” they switch back and forth, alternating their attention until both tasks are done. When you began applying this word to humans, the context flipped and it became misinterpreted to mean multiple tasks being done simultaneously.

People can do two or more things at once, but you can’t focus on two things at once. Your attention bounces back and forth. This is fine for computers, but has serious repercussions for humans.

How Multitasking Affects Performance

If you’ve been working from home since COVID started, you may have noticed a huge difference in your work performance.

Without the constant background noise, questions from co-workers, or other distractions, are you working more efficiently? Getting more done?

Of course there are going to be unique distractions that come from working from home, it’s still very different than physically being in an office.

Researchers estimate that workers are interrupted every 11 minutes and then spend almost a third of their day recovering from these distractions. And yet amid all of this we still assume we can rise above it and do what has to be done within our deadlines.

Unfortunately, juggling all these tasks is not multitasking because juggling itself is an illusion. To the observer, a juggler looks like they are juggling three balls at once. What’s actually happening is that the balls are being independently caught and thrown in rapid succession.

This is what researchers refer to as “task switching.”

What Is Task Switching and Why It Burns So Much Energy

When you switch from one task to another, voluntarily or not, two things happen:

You decide to switch. This decision is nearly instantaneous.
You have to activate the “rules” for whatever you’re about to do. This one is less predictable.

Switching between two simple tasks, like watching Netflix and folding clothes, is pretty quick and painless. However, if you’re working on a spreadsheet and a co-worker pops into your office (or inbox) to discuss a problem, the relative complexity of those tasks makes it impossible to easily jump back and forth.

It always takes some amount of time and energy to start a new task and restart the one you paused, and there’s no guarantee you’ll ever pick up exactly where you left off.

Switching tasks comes at a high price that few realize they’re even paying.

The cost of extra time to switch tasks depends on how complex or simple these tasks are. It can range from a 25% time increase for simple tasks to well over 100% for very complicated tasks.

Since we know from tons of research that you can’t effectively focus on more than one task at a time, you need to structure your day to increase something called focused workflow. Here’s what to do instead of multitasking:

Reduce Distractions
Choose One Thing to Focus On
Block Out The Time
Continually Bring Your Attention To The Present

How to Stop Multitasking to Save Energy

Reduce Distractions

Start noticing what takes away your attention the most and contributes to a feeling of tiredness, overwhelm, or burnout. Is it usually:

Hearing and seeing app notifications?
Getting phone calls or text messages?
Getting distracted by random noises?

Start methodically removing these distractions from your environment: whether it’s turning off your wi-fi to reduce mindless internet scrolling, turning off your phone to reduce notifications, or wearing ear plugs.

Start with the highest priority distractions and work your way down. If necessary, bring in an accountability partner to help.

Choose One Thing to Focus On At a Time

This one thing needs to be your most important thing! Think about what will make the biggest difference for your day, job, or business? What will move the needle in the right direction?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, it’s completely based on the bigger picture results you’re hoping for. Staying focused on impactful tasks reduces overwhelm, which can lead to burnout.

Block out the time

You’ll need to plan ahead in order to fully focus your attention on the one task you’ve chosen.

Block out that time in your calendar and set reminders or alarms (whatever helps you remember) and let your co-workers, partner, or roommates know that you’ll be unavailable ahead of time.

Pay attention to when you’re most likely to focus so that you don’t block out time that’s not suitable for this kind of workflow. For instance, if you’re not a morning person it doesn’t make sense to block out the morning to get focused work done.

continually bring your attention back to the present

Just because you’ve removed as many distractions as possible, your attention will still wander to some degree.

Every time this happens, just notice it, and then gently bring your attention back to the task at hand. If you’re really struggling with this, try practicing while you eat. Every time your mind wanders and you no longer taste your food, bring your attention back to the next bite.

You’ll also start to notice when you need to schedule break time. If you start to feel tired, frustrated, or resistant, that’s a good indication it’s time to take a break. Even if you don’t feel like taking one, breaks are essential for burnout prevention.

how to handle important interruptions

If an idea or something important pops up during your block of time, write it down in whatever way you like to remind yourself (notebook, post-it note, digital reminder, etc).

When your time block is done, go back and review anything you wrote down and pick the most important or impactful thing to do next. If you need to handle something important during your focused time, make a note to remind you where you left off so you don’t waste time trying to get back into the flow.

How to Focus Your Attention on What Matters

These steps don’t just apply to getting work done, but also to how you’re spending your time in general. Work isn’t the only thing that contributes to feeling burned out. Without quality time, it’s easy to start getting overwhelmed.

Do you tend to multitask when you’re with friends or loved ones? Maybe you’re on the phone, watching Netflix, or running errands. Maybe you’re distracted by something instead of playing with your kids.

Being highly distracted isn’t a moral failing, it’s just your nervous systems way of removing you from stress and other unpleasant feelings.

While checking out can feel like the best way to approach to stop feeling stressed, it actually contributes to burn out because you don’t give your brain and body a chance to connect with others and enjoy yourself.

Whatever’s going on, block out your time to focus on one important thing during that time.

If you’re playing a game, immerse yourself in it
If you’re on a walk, pay attention the sights, sounds, smells, or whatever else you’re noticing
If you’re talking to a friend, really focus and listen to what they’re saying in the same way you’d like for them to listen to you

Whenever you notice your attention wandering, simply bring it back to what you’re doing. You may have judgey thoughts or get frustrated and that’s OK. Reconnect with what’s most important to you and continually check in.

Related: How to Build Healthier Habits

Whatever you do: don’t try to juggle two important or complicated tasks at the same time. Pick whichever is more important in that moment and put your full attention on it. Then when you’re done, switch your attention to the other task.

Practice this focused attention daily and eventually you can rewire your brain to stay present, focused, and engaged with daily life.

Adapted from The ONE Thing by Gary Keller

How to Be More Productive Without Burning Out

Table of Contents

Why Multitasking doesn’t work

How Multitasking Affects Performance

What Is Task Switching and Why It Burns So Much Energy

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