Week 6 - You Cannot Multi-Task!

[Raymond Sidney-Smith]

Happy Monday, GTDers!

I know that it might appear gauche to draw clear lines in the sand on issues that requires more scientific research, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the human brain doesn't consciously multi-task. You have three states of consciousness (conscious, preconscious and unconscious). So, your conscious mind can only focus on one task

​; that's one grain of sand​

at a time

​, not the whole beach​

. And, while your work and life (and productivity system!) may have many competing priorities, it's also really important for you to have only one priority to be consciously aware of at any given time. That's not to say that you should forget that you have a family and friendships and other areas of your life to maintain altogether! Not at all. Conversely, you need to remember them outside your brain temporarily when Doing so it can single-focus clearly and powerfully! You need to get those projects and tasks off your mind and into an "external brain" (be it a list, mind map or audio/video recording, or other format that you're assuredly going to revisit at the right times). It's then that you can relax, take a few deep breaths

​ to focus​

and kick into gear to getting

​that one next thing​

 

​started

. Have a great week, GTDers!

From Ready for Anything:

• "What have you decided to ignore because it doesn't seem that important right now?"
• "How important would it be if it were already accomplished?"
• "How would you feel once it was done?"

Next week: Closing open loops releases energy.

Here's to your productive life,

R

-- 

Ray Sidney-Smith

(202) 527-9620 mobile/SMS

rsidne...@gmail.com

Connect professionally: http://linkedin.com/raymond

 

Connect via Google+: http://gplus.to/rsidneysmith

 

[Raymond Sidney-Smith]

Correction to last week's questions (which I accidentally put in Chapter 7's questions, which you'll see again in this week's email!):

• What's still just in your head that keeps popping up to remind you about your agreement with yourself to make something different?
• What have you avoided dealing with today? Why do you think it won't still be there tomorrow? How useful would it be to get it off your mind right now?