How monotasking can boost focus and prevent brain fog

ADMIT YOU HAVE A MULTITASKING PROBLEM

Like any destructive habit, you can only break the multitasking cycle when you acknowledge your current pattern isn’t working for you.

“People have to recognise that the rationale is misplaced,” Craig says. “They’re better off doing one thing at a time, and doing it well.”

THINK ABOUT WHAT NEEDS YOUR FULL ATTENTION, AND WHEN

Not everything needs to be monotasked. Craig suggests homing in on what’s important by asking yourself if there are dangerous consequences of doing a task poorly. “They’re the ones that need to go at the top of the list,” he says.

It helps to create structure around your workflow. Computer scientist and author Cal Newport outlines a prescription for what he calls ‘deep work’ – “rules for focused success in a distracted world”. These guidelines range from setting steadfast working hours to keeping a record of your goals and how productive you were at a task.

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

When it comes to efficiency, technology can be a help – but it can also be a hindrance.

Think about all the times you’ve broken away from a task to idly check your email or social apps. “All these sorts of distractions can stop you from paying full attention to the one task that’s important,” Craig says.

He suggests removing obvious distractions, wherever possible. This might mean turning off your phone’s notifications – or at the very least, turning your phone upside down or covering its screen. Start small, by turning off social media notifications during work hours, or having a dedicated phone storage box when colleagues enter a meeting room. Phone Free Day is a great initiative to get behind if you’re looking for a group challenge or even just for easy tips on how to disconnect to reconnect.

USE RESOURCES AND TECHNIQUES

Not all tech is designed to distract. The Forest app, for instance, uses the pomodoro timer technique to keep you on task. It’s simple and fun; the more focused you are, the stronger your ‘productivity tree’ grows – while distractions make your tree die.

Some experts suggest that mindfulness techniques such as meditation are great ways to improve focus. For Craig, checklists and time blocks are a great way to stay on task. “That might mean structuring periods where you focus on important tasks and times when you can do other tasks, like emails, that tend to be distracting,” he says.

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT TO HELP OTHERS

Craig believes that unproductive multitasking is not always the fault of the multitasker. Meetings, for example, are breeding grounds for frivolous multitasking. “People think they can be more productive by checking their emails throughout,” he says. “There’s no doubt that if somebody is emailing, they’re not paying full attention to the meeting.”

Make your workplace more monotask-friendly by changing aspects of the environment that allow for distraction. If people are on their phones during meetings, come up with solutions to make the time more collaborative and engaging. This could mean cutting meeting times in half, making meeting rooms phone-free zones, having standing ‘whip-arounds’ instead of sitting down, or introducing a weekly rotation of themed healthy snacks or smoothies.