RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2016
4
Eliana Barriga
eliana@retailobserver.com
Until next time,
APRIL 2016, VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4
CELEBRATING OUR 27
TH
YEAR
AS THE RETAIL OBSERVER
PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
E LIANA BARRIGA
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING
MOE LASTFOGEL
ART DIRECTOR
TERRY PRICE
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
BILL BAZEMORE
JOE HIGGINS
DON PIERSON
JIM SENDRAK
DOUG STEWART
STEPHAN THOMPTO
JOHN TSCHOHL
E LLY VALAS
LIBBY WAGNER
JOHN WHITE
DEADLINE FOR JUNE 2016 ISSUE:
MAY 1, 2016
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THE RETAIL
R
ecently, I've been noticing more and more articles on the power of doing one
thing at a time versus multitasking.
Multitasking was all of the craze in the late 90's and early 2000's. The theory
was that the more tasks you could do at the same time, the more productive you
would be. New technology only spurred on our quest and ability to do even more.
Today, multitasking has evolved into what's now been coined "busyness". But
studies are showing that most people who multitask are in fact busy, but not very
productive. In fact, our brains actually can't multitask, it can only focus on one thing
at a time. So, forcing it to switch from one task to another, actually slows you down,
reduces your efficiency and performance and weakens your attention span.
That's why so many of us feel busy, overwhelmed and mentally fatigued but
don't seem to be getting enough done. I've found time-blocking is a great way to
work with the way our brains naturally operate. The premise is fairly simple. Got a
project or task to complete? Block off time in your calendar to work on that task.
For instance, block out 1 hour each morning to answer emails. During this time,
you do nothing else but answer emails. Sounds too easy to be true, but it works!
In the past, I would start my day answering emails while answering the phone,
opening mail, getting updates from employees, etc. By the end of the day, I had
only answered a handful of emails. By blocking 1 hour each morning, all of the
most important emails get answered every day.
It will take a little experimenting to find the best time of day to block off times for
different tasks. But believe me, running your business one task at a time will keep
you more productive, but most importantly, sane!
ONE TASK
AT A TIME
Elle's View As I See It
