Avoid Multitasking: The Power of Focused Work
Trying to do it all just means doing it worse—real success comes from focusing on fewer, high-impact tasks.
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The best managers aren’t superheroes juggling a million things at once. No, the best managers are ruthless editors of their own workload. They’re not about cramming more onto their plate. They’re about taking things off. Chopping away at the fluff, the noise, and the “urgent but not important” tasks so they can focus on what really matters. And trust me, you want to be that kind of manager.
The temptation to multitask is real. It feels like you're being more productive. You’ve got Slack pings on one screen, emails on another, and a to-do list that’s growing like a weed. But guess what? Multitasking is a productivity killer. It's a sneaky villain disguised as efficiency. The truth is, multitasking makes you slower, less accurate, and more stressed. So let’s bust that myth right now: you’re not good at multitasking. Nobody is.
The Multitasking Myth
Let’s be real: we’ve all fallen into the trap of multitasking. You’re on a Zoom call, half-listening, while trying to type up that email you’ve been putting off, and also keeping an eye on Slack, just in case. It feels like you’re being productive, right? Wrong.
Multitasking is like a productivity black hole—it feels like you’re doing more, but in reality, you’re doing less, and you’re doing it worse. Concentrating on one thing not only gets it done faster but gets it done better. Multitasking doesn’t double your productivity; it halves it. It’s like trying to listen to two conversations at the same time—what you end up with is just noise.
Scientists have looked at this pretty thoroughly. They’ve put people in labs, given them tasks, and compared those who try to do multiple things at once to those who stay focused. The result? Multitaskers think they’re killing it, but they’re actually doing worse than the people sticking to one thing. Slower, messier, more errors. Yet multitaskers feel productive. That’s the trick. It’s all an illusion. Your brain can only really focus on one thing at a time. It just flips back and forth between tasks, burning precious energy like an old car running out of gas.
You know who didn’t multitask? Steve Jobs. When he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was all over the place. They were trying to make everything: printers, cameras, you name it. Jobs slashed their product line by 70%, leaving only a few key products—like the iMac, and later the iPod and iPhone. The result? Apple went from near bankruptcy to one of the most valuable companies in the world. Jobs knew that focus creates power.
The same is true for you. You’re not going to win as a manager by trying to do everything. You win by doing a few important things exceptionally well.
Leadership Is Curating, Not Collecting
Here’s the secret to leadership: it’s not about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things. Think of yourself as a curator, not a collector. A collector tries to get everything—emails, meetings, calls, reports, every last task imaginable. A curator? A curator is picky. They choose only the most valuable pieces, display them well, and let the rest go.
The same applies to your work. If you spend your time trying to tackle every single task that crosses your path, you’ll never get to the good stuff. Leadership is about focusing on high-value activities that move the needle. Take it from Warren Buffett.
One of the wealthiest and most successful investors of all time, Buffett credits much of his success to saying no. He once explained his incredible achievements by saying, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” He understood that focus is the key to making meaningful progress. You can’t be everywhere, doing everything. Your attention is limited. Every task you take on that doesn’t truly matter is stealing time from something that does.
So, how do you get better at curating your work? Simple: learn to say no. Not every meeting requires your presence (and let’s be honest, when was the last time you thought, “Wow, I’m so glad I spent that extra hour in that meeting!”). Not every email needs a response. Prioritize the few things that actually move the needle, and ruthlessly cut out the rest.
The Siege of Attention
You’re not just battling tasks—you’re battling distractions. In our world, information overload is a real thing. Notifications, emails, DMs, the 30 open tabs you swear you’ll get to later—it’s all clamoring for your attention like seagulls fighting over a single fry.
Psychologist Franco Berardi nailed it when he described today’s world as being flooded with information, but often meaningless information. We’re bombarded by chatter, opinions, and constant noise. This “siege of attention” is a nightmare for focus. We get overwhelmed with so much that everything starts to feel trivial. If you let yourself get sucked into this whirlpool of distractions, you’ll never get to the meaningful work that makes a real impact.
So, how do you escape this chaos and guard your focus? Start by creating “focus zones” in your day. These are times when you turn off notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and set your phone to do-not-disturb. During these blocks, your only goal is deep, uninterrupted work. Think of it like building a fortress around your brain. The more you protect your attention, the better your work becomes.
Mastery Requires Focus
If you want to do something great, you have to focus on one thing at a time. Simple, right? It sounds almost too easy, but we all know how hard it is to actually put into practice. There’s always a new email, a new task, a new distraction. But every time you give in, you’re splintering your attention, and that’s slowing you down.
In leadership, this is critical. Deep work, the kind that moves your team and your projects forward, can’t be done while you’re half-checking emails or bouncing between tasks. The best leaders aren’t adding more and more tasks to their plate—they’re ruthlessly cutting things out, sharpening their focus to a fine point.
Mastery requires that level of focus. You won’t get there by spreading yourself thin. You’ll get there by diving deep, going all-in on one important thing, and ignoring the rest until it’s done. That’s how you truly lead.
The Bottom Line: Less Is More
You’re not going to win the productivity game by doing more things. You’re going to win by doing fewer things better. Focused work is your superpower as a leader. If you’re deliberate about what you take on and ruthless about cutting distractions, you’ll not only get more done—you’ll get the right things done.
So forget multitasking. It’s time to lean into focus, master your attention, and lead like the curator you are. After all, nobody cares how many things you checked off your to-do list today. What matters is the impact of the things you did focus on.
Building Focus: Practical Tips for Deep Work
Now, if you’re thinking, “Okay, I’m convinced. But how do I actually do this?”—I’ve got you covered. Here are a few simple strategies to get laser-focused and avoid the multitasking trap:
Time Blocking: This is a game-changer. Take chunks of your day and reserve them for specific tasks. During those blocks, you’re not allowed to do anything else. No emails, no Slack, no "quick favors." It’s like going to the gym but for your brain. You’ll come out stronger.
The Pomodoro Technique: If long stretches of focus feel overwhelming, try working in shorter bursts. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on one task. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. Repeat. It’s like interval training for your productivity.
Say No to Unnecessary Meetings: Meetings can be some of the biggest time vampires around. Before accepting that invite, ask yourself: Do I really need to be there? Is this the best use of my time? If not, politely decline or delegate someone else to attend. As a leader, your time is too valuable to spend in meetings that don’t matter.
Use the Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize tasks by sorting them into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. The last two? Forget about them. The first two? That’s your focus.
Turn Off Notifications: You’re not a firefighter—you don’t need to respond to every ping immediately. Set specific times during the day to check your messages and emails, and ignore them outside of those windows. Your focus will thank you.
What other strategies have helped you stay focused on high-priority tasks? Share your best tips in the comments!
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