Pay a bill, make an appointment or go shopping: to think about everything you need to do, making one or more to-do lists is an effective method. However, not finishing them can also lead to feelings of dissatisfaction. How to get there? An American psychologist, Anne Welsh, interviewed by the Huffington Post, gives a tip to get better organized.
Doing several things at once is exhausting for our brain
Generally, when we have several things to do, we are tempted to do them at the same time. For example, at the office, you will start to consult a report, then interrupt yourself to respond to an email, before returning to your primary task. And that’s a mistake.
“Let’s say you stop working on a report to respond to an email. When you reopen the report, you waste energy remembering where you left off and getting back into the swing of things.” explains Anne Welsh.
“Task switching depletes your executive function, which is necessary for making decisions, planning and concentrating,” she adds.
The solution: opt for blocking time slots, to carry out a task
To avoid being influenced by other tasks, the expert advises using a specific time management tool, called time blocking. Which simply consists of carrying out a single task in a given time.
“For example, you can plan to check your inbox and respond to emails from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Then, block off the time slot from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to work on your clients’ proposals. After that, you can plan to eat lunch until 1 p.m. Then, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., you can schedule time for one-on-one meetings with your colleagues.” cites the psychologist as an example. It is then up to everyone to organize their time, according to their activity and their needs.
How to do it in practice?
Time blocking is therefore about structuring your day in a targeted way. “This allows you to focus on one thing at a time and prevents you from wasting cognitive energy switching back and forth between tasks.”
further details the expert. Additionally, it minimizes the risk of distraction and ultimately mental fatigue. “By keeping our attention on a single task, we can increase our productivity and focus on this cognitive challenge.”
To set it up, you need to start by making a list of tasks you want to accomplish during the day. It is important to be specific. Instead of writing “report”, you could specify “write an introduction for the report”, for example. Then estimate the time it will take you to complete each task and assign it a time slot in your calendar.
Allow small breaks between tasks and vary the length of the slots, depending on the importance of the work to be accomplished. And experiment with several techniques to find the one that suits you best. “The most important thing is to remain flexible,” concludes the expert. “Consider adjusting your schedule according to your priorities or your energy level, to stay in control of your time.