Do one thing really well- Sunil Shenoy

Posted: 17th May 2010

Do one thing really well

Concentration / maintaining focus is something most people struggle with, myself included. With multiple tabs / alt tab switching and wanting to get more things done, most of us are always moving from one thing to the another.

So I got thinking the other day if all the multi tasking provides any good value and do I actually get more things done?

I put myself under a test last week and here is what I observed.

NO, I don't get more things done by trying to do many things are once. Instead I find myself wasting time switching between things, than completing the task at hand. Maintaing focus at the task at hand, would have improved the quality of work a lot.

So here is what I plan to do, to make myself better at managing things on my list

Focus on one thing at a time. Divide my day into smaller chunks, finish one thing on my list before moving to the next.
Gmail and chatting gets dedicated time, till I achieve Inbox Zero.
Only check my emails three times a day.
Keep maximum of 3 tabs open at one time.
Use TeuxDeux as a to do list manager and check through my list of tasks as I finish them.
Have a small to do list

Some benefits I hope to achieve by doing these :

Get more things done and not leave things half way through
Most of my projects which entered dead pool even before they started will now start again
Make things better. Before due to lack on concentration, I did a few things not to the best I could. From now I plan to put my best into everything I do.