Can you multitask during flow-work? If so what do you do...

Raquel Yesner
7 replies

Replies

Murali Gottumukkala
I actually pride myself on that
Elizabeth Obee
I am a huge multi-tasker! I typically combine 'easy' tasks that don't require thought to split up the more challenging tasks, so I get a mental break but keep productivity going. I also multi-task in meetings if there's an opp to get a simple scheduling task done while the meeting is about to start / finish!
Software Guy (Aarvy)
Nahhhh, I can't do it. I just let myself be in the flow state and continue to focus on one thing.
Eric Park
I'd say I don't multi-task, but when I do, I bundle together lots of quick to do, mindless work - never 2 or more complex tasks.
Michael Flux
I'm firmly in the camp of multi-tasking being a myth. You can either do two things poorly by rapidly switching between them, or you can do one thing well by focusing 100% on it. e.g. if I'm trying to write some marketing copy where not only do I have to think through it, but also read it a few dozen times as I'm writing it to make sure that all angles are covered -- at that point any music, podcasts, audiobooks etc, starts directly clashing with the same parts of the brain that are responsible for interpreting words and either I have absolutely no idea what the podcast was if I completely tune it out, or what is being said in the podcast starts making its way into what I'm trying to write and I have to pause it. πŸ™ƒ With that said, maybe one of the jobs being done, requires so little mental effort that you can rely almost exclusively on muscle memory (e.g. running) - but even then what we're describing is your head focusing on one thing, while your body does something else.