Communication Technology - Productive Busy or Distraction

Welcome to the world of communication technology and scatter brains. Some call it multitasking. It’s so easy to love the word multitasking as it sounds like you are getting so much accomplished. But, are you productive, just busy, or down-right distracted? Think of these two actions and which one you choose to perform as a priority in the morning: first cup of coffee or checking your email/blackberry. If it was the coffee, what’s the time lapse between the two activities? Facebook is enhancing the craze of constantly checking your messages.

Multitasking has disadvantages. Working harder and longer doesn’t produce more. It results in low productivity and sloppy work. The New York Times has an article highlighting some research to state that “multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of making mistakes” as indicated by David E. Meyer, a cognitive scientist and director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Researchers found that doing two things at once slows your response time down at least one second. When driving and communicating through our technology device, that one second can mean the difference between life and death.
To evaluate your level of productivity, consider the following questions as a self evaluation. Do you read all text and email messages as they arrive? When you complete a task, do you feel a sense of accomplishment? Are you able to sit for at least ten minutes at a time to quiet your mind – no sound, no reading, and no thoughts – just completely check out? Do you perform three tasks on your way to accomplish your main objective? Are your repetitive tasks performed to keep yourself busy or in order to accomplish them? Do you worry about what’s going to happen? Do you feel tired? Do you view your peers as less productive?
This is just a small sample of a larger analysis tool created by Jennifer Culver to assist individuals and businesses with evaluating and improving their productivity ratio. Productivity is complete with a sense of purpose and the ability to celebrate accomplishments. It’ a beautiful, realistic view associated with a few objectives and tasks each day (not twenty four!) as to enjoy your life outside of the to-do list. This CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED in the work environment too. When you return to your office and your computer following a series of meetings, how does your body and mind feel as you sit and look at your messages and calendar? Tension and a feeling of being overwhelmed can tell you something. Additionally, as you’re working on a project and you see your instant messenger popping up with email notifications, think about (1) how often you just let them accumulate and visit/read them at a later time and (2) how often your body and mind stay centered on your task at hand and not on the subject you just saw pop up. There are procedures to keep your time and energy managed and focused, with the least amount of stress and anxiety.
If you find yourself in the busy or distracted category, stop and take an honest look at yourself. You most likely didn’t intend to be a workaholic and/or a scatter brain. As you become honest with your personal and professional productivity, or lack thereof, you have the ability to improve it. Contact Jennifer Culver at Jentle Wellness, LLC, a professional coach specializing in supporting you in your productivity needs, for a full productivity personal assessment and a FREE 60-minute TRIAL COACHING session.