A couple of days ago I was running across town for a 3 pm appointment and passed by the RSA Conference crowd happening at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. As I crossed the busy intersection, I remembered something and started to reach for my phone, trying to pay attention to traffic and not bump into anyone.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a well-dressed but totally distracted corporate-type woman push her way out of the crowd, crossing towards me, talking on her cell phone. Her neck was tipped to one side to hold her iPhone against her ear, her right hand held her bags and briefcase, and her left hand held her purse up and open as she rummaged through it.
Suddenly, a determined man came from behind, grabbed her purse, and bolted across the street. I saw the look of terror and panic on this woman’s face as she ran after him, screaming, “Call the police, this man has my purse.” But her voice was drowned out by the busy crowds, traffic, and streetcars. The man was long gone. Wake-up call!
The image of this woman balancing everything precariously, and crossing the street in a busy intersection while digging through her purse and talking on her cell phone was all too familiar. Multi-tasking means you pay some attention to everything, and it just invites interruption, distraction, or distraction. There is a big price to pay for multi-tasking. Stats show that people who regularly juggle several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memories, or switch well from one task to another. They have time management challenges big-time. According to a recent report, the cost of interruptions in the US economy is estimated at $588 billion a year.
If you’re time-starved and distracted bunch, here’s a simple solution: Stop, focus, and quiet your brain. Take a minute to do this before you begin work, and take focus breaks as much as you can during the day. Watch your metrics rise as your focus grows.
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