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Angie Stegall

Angie Stegall

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May 6, 2013 by Angie Stegall

Rapid toggling between tasks

So today I read that rapid toggling between tasks is a bad thing (and even anticipating having to do this is bad).

What exactly is “rapid toggling between tasks?”

  • Attending a networking event, listening to a speaker, and checking email on your smartphone under the table
  • Walking on the street, checking email on your smartphone, and having a conversation with someone walking next to you
  • Ordering Starbucks at the drivethrough and talking on your cell phone while trying to remove your wallet from your pocket in order to get out your debit card
  • Sitting at your desk, answering your office phone, instant messaging on the computer, checking email, and answering questions from the guy who pops in with a “really quick question”
  • Even simply anticipating your smartphone, iPad, and laptop will all simultaneously buzz, vibrate, ding, and ping when a new message arrives.

The article I read gave some statistics during a study they commissioned. Here’s the sobering math:

“In other words, the distraction of an interruption, combined with the brain drain of preparing for that interruption, made our test takers 20 percent dumber. That’s enough to turn a B-minus student (80 percent) into a failure (62 percent).”

Ouch.

There’s a sweet bit of irony here, too. I saw this article on LinkedIn and reposted it a couple different places across social media land.

And thanks to Terry, we have a very vivid and real example:

“This is how sad it is. Got your response while holding cell phone in one hand texting to my staff in the field, while checking an email on ipad and looking up a phone number on the computer. Angie, I know it is sick.”

Double ouch!

Gentle reader, be kind to yourself. Stop the madness. Here’s how:

  • Turn off all social media alerts – Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter. Turn. Them. Off. Schedule time in your calendar to go “do” social media. Otherwise, turn it off.
  • Turn off the “ghost alert” on your email. It’s that little pop up in the upper or lower right side that briefly alerts you there’s a new message.
  • Turn off everything that makes a noise – a ding, a bing, a buzz, or whatever other cute and horribly distracting sound you programmed in. Turn. Them. Off.
  • Schedule time to check your email. Once a day is awesome. Three times a day will do. My client today put up an autoresponder that says, “This email is checked on Wednesdays and Thursdays only. If this is urgent or time sensitive, please call me.” Rad!
  • If it isn’t your scheduled time to process your email, shut your email down. I’m completely serious. Unless you have a customer service role where it’s literally your job to answer emails, then Turn. It. Off.

If the thought of turning off those alerts and closing your email gives you hives, it’s time to call me.

Sincerely,

Angie

P.S. It’s DONE!!! My second book for Amazon’s Kindle is written and edited. I have a couple of final changes/edits for the worksheets and a video or two to shoot for extra juicy content. It’ll be live next week and I’m SO excited! Details and link to the book soooooon…

P.P.S. More than a few people have said, “Angie, I can’t buy your book because I don’t have a Kindle.” Well, happily, that doesn’t matter. I don’t have one either and I read Kindle books all the time. Amazon provides a free download of an electronic reader that allows you to download and read any Kindle book out there. Sweet! No excuses now.

Filed Under: Best Of Posts, Mindset, Time Management & Productivity

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