Jay Papasan

Our calendars are kind of overflowing. I've had moments in my life where I was literally mapping out my days in 15 minute increments. And there are a lot of people who feel that way. We have a lot of opportunity to do stuff and we have a lot of obligation. And I kind of compared the way we operate

Our calendars are kind of overflowing. I've had moments in my life where I was literally mapping out my days in 15 minute increments. And there are a lot of people who feel that way. We have a lot of opportunity to do stuff and we have a lot of obligation. And I kind of compared the way we operate

with so many things kind of stressing us out, the need to do them all, to like being a character in a B-horror movie that runs up the stairs instead of out the front door. We make really bad decisions on how to spend our time. And so the antidote to that, that first lie, was essentially, you know, we want you to launch your days by identifying the things that you could do

with so many things kind of stressing us out, the need to do them all, to like being a character in a B-horror movie that runs up the stairs instead of out the front door. We make really bad decisions on how to spend our time. And so the antidote to that, that first lie, was essentially, you know, we want you to launch your days by identifying the things that you could do

and then identify the handful that you really should do, and then prioritize them from one to whatever. And that's lie number one. The second lie, people have a lot, they're looking at all the things they might have to do. The other thing they're really tempted in this day and age to do is multitask. And we make a strong argument that multitasking is a lie.

and then identify the handful that you really should do, and then prioritize them from one to whatever. And that's lie number one. The second lie, people have a lot, they're looking at all the things they might have to do. The other thing they're really tempted in this day and age to do is multitask. And we make a strong argument that multitasking is a lie.

And the big crux there is that in reality, when we think we're multitasking, Researchers call it switch tasking. If they call anything in their research or multitasking, it's just in the headline so they can get it in print. But they call it switch tasking because what actually happens is we're doing our work. And then we decide to switch. And that's instantaneous.

And the big crux there is that in reality, when we think we're multitasking, Researchers call it switch tasking. If they call anything in their research or multitasking, it's just in the headline so they can get it in print. But they call it switch tasking because what actually happens is we're doing our work. And then we decide to switch. And that's instantaneous.

It's like squirrel, boom, we're off to the next thing. The thing that they realized challenged us is when you switch tasks, your brain has to reorient to the new rules of the game. And there's a lag. If you've ever been like writing a really complex email and maybe your spouse walks in and starts talking to you, you know they're talking to you.

It's like squirrel, boom, we're off to the next thing. The thing that they realized challenged us is when you switch tasks, your brain has to reorient to the new rules of the game. And there's a lag. If you've ever been like writing a really complex email and maybe your spouse walks in and starts talking to you, you know they're talking to you.

You can hear words in the air, but you actually don't comprehend them. And you say, oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying? And you repeat that. That's that lag time. And every time we switch between screens, you know, stopping our email to pick up a phone call, we experience this lag time. And researchers believe about a quarter of our day, 28% is lost to this. And we're not even aware of it.

You can hear words in the air, but you actually don't comprehend them. And you say, oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying? And you repeat that. That's that lag time. And every time we switch between screens, you know, stopping our email to pick up a phone call, we experience this lag time. And researchers believe about a quarter of our day, 28% is lost to this. And we're not even aware of it.

It's a huge loss. I mean, as an employer, I look, wow, I have five employees when I might need four if they were all just being efficient with their time. There's just tons of research out there that the funny one that always kind of You know, people say this is making me smarter or whatever. You know, I can do all these things.

It's a huge loss. I mean, as an employer, I look, wow, I have five employees when I might need four if they were all just being efficient with their time. There's just tons of research out there that the funny one that always kind of You know, people say this is making me smarter or whatever. You know, I can do all these things.

There's a guy in the College of New London and he did research into IQ tests and he compared the results of people who were focusing. He compared the results of people who were having to multitask. They had to juggle emails and phone calls while they took an IQ test. And very hilariously, he compared them to people who were stoned.

There's a guy in the College of New London and he did research into IQ tests and he compared the results of people who were focusing. He compared the results of people who were having to multitask. They had to juggle emails and phone calls while they took an IQ test. And very hilariously, he compared them to people who were stoned.

You know, nobody was surprised that on average, the people who were focused scored 11 points higher than the other two groups. They were shocked that the people who were stoned on average scored six IQ points higher than the people who are multitasking. So I could go through six ways. We don't need to go there. It costs you time. It makes you dumb and you're just less effective.

You know, nobody was surprised that on average, the people who were focused scored 11 points higher than the other two groups. They were shocked that the people who were stoned on average scored six IQ points higher than the people who are multitasking. So I could go through six ways. We don't need to go there. It costs you time. It makes you dumb and you're just less effective.

So we really tried to get people, if not stop multitasking all the time, when you're doing your main thing, your one thing, at least stop multitasking then. If I was actually more focused when I was at work, could I have more time with my family? I think there's a real human cost that I think about, and it makes me a little bit sad.

So we really tried to get people, if not stop multitasking all the time, when you're doing your main thing, your one thing, at least stop multitasking then. If I was actually more focused when I was at work, could I have more time with my family? I think there's a real human cost that I think about, and it makes me a little bit sad.