Multi-tasking is Zapping Your Energy

According to an article, “The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time”, Harvard Business Review –March 2012, 25-50% of all workers are feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work. It claims that we have lost all of our stopping points and we can no longer get away from our work. We are creating an “ever busy” environment and this environment is draining our energy and not allowing us to build up our reservoirs for later use. Individual productivity is waning proportionally with our energy. We are spiraling downward……with no rest in sight! In this article, they recommended three policies worth promoting:

•  Maintain Meeting Discipline
• Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day, and
• Encourage renewal.

I think the time is now to formulate your plans to do just that. 

5 Tips to Focus and Promote Productivity:

1. Ban the use of electronic devices while we are in a meeting or presentation environment. This would ensure that the attention is on the speaker and the content being delivered or the line items of a meeting agenda and the design of the outcome with each. 
2. Set borders and boundaries that complement finalization or the completeness of a task. 
3. Stop doing a little of this and a little of that…your energy is waning…minute by minute.
4. Eliminate the “instant messenger” or instant gratification environment by focusing work performance on the prioritization of the various projects and the deadlines associated with those projects. As Nike promotes, “Just Do It” aka just get it done.
5. Provide for and allow people to recharge their batteries by providing the time and environment for them to do such, whether it is exercise, naps or meditation. 

It’s time we focused on the wellness of the employee to maintain productivity levels. The time is now!