Productivity Myth or Reality

When it comes to productivity, there are many habits we take for granted – things we’re told over and over to do. This includes multi-tasking and spending long hours at work. But are they a productivity myth or reality? Will being a good at multi-tasking really give you an advantage?

We break down the biggest productivity myths holding you back from doing your best work.

Multitasking boosts efficiency

Multitasking involves switching between tasks. When you’re trying to do two things at once, your brain must go through two phases: shifting goals and changing between the rules of each task. This switching causes your brain to spend a lot of its time and mental energy, potentially costing almost 40% of the time that you could be spending on being productive.

Longer hours mean more productivity

Staying back at work every night doesn’t automatically mean you’re doing quality work. In fact, the longer you work, the less you can concentrate. Instead, focus on getting your most important work finished while you’re at your most productive.

Productive people take on more work

Productivity isn’t about doing everything that needs to get done – even if it’s not your responsibility. If you aren’t giving 100% to your important tasks, but you’re giving 70% to everything else, you aren’t truly being productive. You’re simply multitasking. Taking on everything to appear busy isn’t the right way to increase your work performance. Choose the tasks that are best suited to you, and allocate the remaining tasks to the right your team members. This way, everyone will be efficient and productive.