Eating, watching the news, checking e-mails – we often do everything at the same time, but we’re not really focused. Science says it doesn’t work at all. Neither should we, because we miss the moment, says project manager Philipp. How can we do this better?
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As a project manager, Philipp often has many things to think about and has to answer inquiries from various customers. However, he doesn’t think much of multitasking. Because: Concentration does not matter. That’s why Philipp has set himself the goal of avoiding multitasking as much as possible – whether at work, when consuming media or when eating.
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Multitasking is not a super skill
Even if it is sometimes required in advertisements for jobs: Multitasking doesn’t work and, above all, it doesn’t make us more productive, says Philipp. But on the contrary. He is productive when he concentrates on one thing and exhibits other stimuli as best he can. That’s why he sets himself specific slots: some in which he answers e-mails and can be reached, and others in which he turns off his smartphone.
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“In theory we are always available – but in practice we are not. That means I can either be available or productive.”
Philip, project manager
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It is important to him to communicate these slots to customers, friends or other people who want to reach him and to give them an indication of when he can be reached again. This is how Philipp manages to concentrate – and still not offend anyone. In his private life, he does it better than at work, he says. Because many would expect multitasking after all.
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“It’s not about whether I can do things at the same time, but whether I want to and what I want to focus on.”
Philip, project manager
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Whether multitasking works or not is less interesting for Philipp. What is important is that a decision against multitasking is a decision for a certain thing.
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© Or Musafi
In the 21 and over you will also hear what can help us to concentrate better and why our brain is overwhelmed with multitasking.
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