Let’s face it, we all multitask at work. You can also admit that the term “multitask” is listed somewhere on your resume and LinkedIn profile page. However, there are some great benefits to doing just one thing at a time.

One thing at a time?! I bet you’re thinking:

So you’re saying I can’t surf the net, write an email, and conduct a business call all at the same time.

The Harvard Business Review published an insightful article about “The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time.”

Sometimes we wish we could step away from our email for just a moment to focus on a project. The truth is, with two screens at most of our desks, we’re staring at both, a project and an email. We, at Pyramid Consulting Group, practice great customer service, on both the client and candidate side. That being said, prompt responses to emails are one of our top priorities.

However, The Harvard Business Review writes:

“Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day. It forces your people into reactive mode, fractures their attention, and makes it difficult for them to sustain attention on their priorities. Let them turn off their email at certain times. If it’s urgent, you can call them — but that won’t happen very often.”

We still rely on the small pop up window in the lower corner of our screen alerting us to who is emailing, but if it’s not urgent, we can continue with the project we were working on. This small pop up will help wean us off the constant email inbox stare.

Please visit The Harvard Business Review for a full list of how to focus on doing just one thing at a time.

Some of our favorites include:

  • Do the most important thing first in the morning
  • Take real and regular vacations
  • Encourage renewal

How do you focus on doing just one thing at a time? Or, if you prefer not to, how to you multitask effectively and efficiently? Please comment here.