Monotask to combat procrastination — Nr. 114
Issue 114: Multitasking drop your productivity by 40%
Story:
A study from Stanford found that the more people multitask, the worse their performance is. Sometimes I fall into this multitasking trap, doing lots of busy work but not making meaningful progress.
The bottom line is that multitasking drops your productivity by 40%.
This is why the concept of monotasking is powerful.
You focus on one thing at a time.
These days, I only have two important tasks per day. I block out 3-4 hours and monotask in the morning. It's a simple yet powerful concept to apply. The trick for me is to put a Pomodoro timer, chill pop music, and put my phone away.
Takeaway for you:
01 - Decide your MIT. Have 1-2 Most Important Tasks (MIT) per day. Focus on it during your deep work. Try this: Plan your MIT for Monday. You might feel counterintuitive in the beginning. But by going deep into one task, you can make more progress than juggling multiple tasks.
02 - Block 1-2 hours in your calendar for deep work. Don't let anyone disrupt you. I understand that working full-time can be difficult because of meetings. But do your best to protect your time.
03 - Define mini steps to get things done. Usually, our to-do is too daunting because we write something like “Write strategy.” Maybe you can create a mini checklist: review the team’s feedback, clarify the target audience, and so on…
04 - Try a Pomodoro. My favorite cycle is 30 minutes focus and 5 minutes break intervals. With Pomodoro, you have more awareness of time. The best and simplest tool I use to avoid procrastination.
Behind the scene
I was super happy with Product Discovery Workshop cohort 3. Many people messaged me and said how it changed their thoughts about building products.
I can apply the framework to my current project. Super relevant for me as a researcher who's building a new product. — Tari (UX researcher)
The cost is worth it. I get the knowledge that I can reuse again & again. — Jennifer (Product Designer)
Already recommend this course to my teammate cause this course will help us — Sarah (Senior Product Designer)
The workshop is practical and I can directly implement it in my current job
— Antonio (Product Manager)
You can register for cohort #4 (Oct 16 — 24, 2023)
One quote to ponder
“You’ve got to think about the big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” — Alvin Toffler
Enjoy your weekend!
PS I see a lot of new subscribers. Welcome!! Just a reminder: You’ll get a new issue every Saturday morning.
PPS. I’ve been learning about hypertrophy to grow muscle. An interesting finding: You must do 5 weekly sets to maintain muscle mass. That means… My muscle mass must have been dropping. Thanks to my friend Angky, I’ve been exposed to this concept.