Multitasking is is a myth. Psychiatrist Edward Hallowell defines multitasking as a “mythical activity in which people believe they can perform two or more tasks simultaneously as effectively as one.” When we try to do this – and I am certainly guilty of it – we are actually “task switching.” It makes us feel busy, but it is not efficient and results in lower quality … [Read more...] about Boost Your Productivity with Single-Tasking
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Improve Your Critical Thinking
Surveys of Chief Human Resource Officers list Critical Thinking Skills as #1 attribute they are looking for in new hires. We can all make improvements in this area. Here are three excellent suggestions from an HBR article on how we can improve our Critical Thinking. 1. Question Assumptions. This can be difficult since – by definition – our assumptions are in the … [Read more...] about Improve Your Critical Thinking
Set Outcomes, Reward Performance
Covid uncovered a number of management problems which supervisors were unaware of. Pre-Covid, many managers judged the performance of people on their team by how busy they looked in the office. It was “management by activity.” During Covid, many managers freaked out – “How do I know my people are working?” Most of them just got used to not knowing and were happy that … [Read more...] about Set Outcomes, Reward Performance
Hail Knowledge and Reason!
Despite the real problems and challenges of our current day - which must be addressed - it can be helpful to take a long view of human progress. When we do this, as Steven Pinker does in his book, Enlightenment Now, we can see that amazing progress has been made in the world. In a broad set of categories including life expectancy, health, peace, knowledge, happiness, … [Read more...] about Hail Knowledge and Reason!
Good and Great
“Good is the enemy of great” Jim Collins famously wrote in his superb book, Good to Great. Collins points out that it is so easy to settle for “good,” that many people and organizations never become “great.” Collins makes an excellent point, but the relationship between “good” and “great” is actually more complex. Consider the personalities of the Perfectionist and the … [Read more...] about Good and Great