Here is the complete transcript of the podcast
Welcome back. Happy Friday morning to you today on the podcast, I am taking up the topic of multitasking and single-tasking. Recently, just a few days ago, there was a question about multitasking. And in the past on this podcast, I have spoken extensively about multitasking and the drawbacks of multitasking primarily highlighting why multitasking is a myth. And today, I want to focus on the differences. And my idea is to motivate you to go into single-tasking, which I have been doing. For a long time here, I’ve been telling you to create your to-do list plan your day before the day before in the night, or the Monday before. And then make sure that you have time blocks and then make sure that you have we are working you’re To-Do Lists through these time blocks based on a priority based on availability based on context and all that I’ve gone through multiple times on the podcast here. So let’s get into this. Let’s talk about why multitasking is not good. There is nothing called multitasking because, at any point in time, you are only working on one task. It looks as if you are doing too many things at the same time, but you are not.
So first of all, switching between tasks is expensive. And now there is data, an average US employee spends about five hours a week switching between applications. That’s the last time now it’s expensive, clearly expensive, there’s a cost associated with it. But then there are also errors that happen as a result of moving between tasks. And every task inherently has some momentum to it. So there’s also a warmup time. So every time you do something and you stop, that means you lost a warmup time, you didn’t accomplish maybe something but you lost a lot more time than warmup time. That means when you come back to the task, again, there is some level of warmup that has to happen. That means you have to see what you did and what you didn’t do. So errors could happen. At the same time, you have lost momentum, you have to build the momentum back to finish the remainder of the task. Expensive. Now there is data, which is saying that when the brain switches between tasks, it also loses active attention. The brain rewires itself, and the reverse itself with no active attention. So people who are conscious are constantly moving between tasks, they can’t rest. And naturally, multitasking is less efficient, and high stress for those reasons. That’s multitasking. Now if you’re not multitasking, what are you doing? That means you are by default single-tasking. So what is single-tasking? And how do you master single-tasking? The entire self-improvement world is all about single task mastery, everything, all the books you read, and even this podcast also multiple times.
So what am I doing right now? As I’m doing this podcast, I wake up in the morning, the first thing I have to do is to record the podcast episode for the day. And what am I doing? I’m single-tasking, I’m terminal with my soul with the mind with my thinking, with my awareness. Consciously, unconsciously, I’m completely focused on this thing, which is this podcast, recording this podcast, and getting it out. single task completely focused. So I woke up this morning, I have chosen my task and I’m doing it in the time block that I signed for myself, which is to get this podcast done in the next 15 minutes. Okay, and what did I do I shut down all the potential interventions, things that would otherwise teach me all that has been removed, and my phone is switched off. The speaker, on my laptop, is turned off. And I’m speaking into the microphone, and I’m recording this right. All interruptions are stopped. Now, is it possible that I may still get an interruption? Is it possible that I could be interrupted? Is it possible that something critical may happen in the next three minutes before this podcast is done? And I need to go give my attention to Yes. Has it happened? Yes, it has.
So what do I do? Well, I stopped this podcast here. I make a note and then I will come back kind of listen to the entire podcast one more time. And if it sounds good, then I kind of add To the end of the podcast, to kind of do what is called Edit Mode recording, I will append whatever I have to say towards the end, wherever I stopped. So I leave a note to my mental self saying I need to add something to it. And I come back and do it. But in the past, I have completely redone the podcast, I have never, I don’t like these edits, I don’t like going back and inserting my voice in middle or towards the end. Sometimes I might, I might have not said a word properly. And that simple word that only a single word I need to insert, I let it go. I don’t want to just insert a word that doesn’t sound right. I don’t feel good about myself. I know I operate with a lot of deficiencies, and I’m okay with it. And I tell you to be okay with it. Just to prove just give permission to yourself to move on in life. Things nobody’s perfect. And we all mess things up, knowingly or unknowingly, it’s okay. So this is how you single task, you pick the topic or the thing that you want to do from your to-do list, you know the time block where you are going to do this. So in that time, block whatever the number of tasks you want to do, get them in, focus on the first task in the time block, and shut everything off completely. And give everything for your full attention with full focus with the full intention and allow interruptions but if you allow interruptions that make sure that you have noted, you know, where you stopped and where you had to pick it up. And then the last thing I didn’t mention is single-tasking allows you to give yourself a break, you feel good, you accomplished something. And then you take a break, I take a break. After I’m done with this recording. I’m going in it’s now almost seven minutes, almost. I put an intro in the beginning. So maybe eight minutes depending upon where yours you’re listening to it. But it’s okay. It’s fine. And we’ll list this and be done. So this is how single-tasking is done.
Now, before I wrap this up, I’ll tell you, I suggest that you get this book The Power of Less by Leo Babauta wrote the book The Power of Less is the fine art of limiting yourself to the essential in business and in life. Incredible subheading powerful heading. And this book is where I picked up the distinction between multitasking and single-tasking. Of course, I have read this multiple times before also, but I want to highlight this book today. I just see over the last few episodes, at least starting in the month of May 1 of May. I have been highlighting a book that has an author who has impacted my thinking, my work, and my understanding of a topic. So bought off less. Leo Babauta gets the book, read it specifically, let me tell you, pages 28 and 29, and 30. Those three pages specifically talk about multitasking and single-tasking, the differences, the benefits, the drawbacks, and all that.
Okay, my time is up like that. Okay, I want to stop here. Hopefully, this is helpful. I hope this is helpful. Before you know it. I’ll be back here again as early as tomorrow, and I’ll catch you on Saturday morning. Take care. Bye now.