Challenge Mono-uni-task! Day 15 of 30 - When I Grow Up

Challenge Mono-uni-task! Day 15 of 30 - When I Grow Up John provided a great comment in my last post it sparked something for me. He said: I’m still trying to work out the whole multi-tasking verses doing one thing at time deal. I used to feel I was getting nothing done by having several on the boil at once. So (and as I work a fair bit from home), I tried removing all distractions, no IM, no email, switched off the mobile phone, etc. I found it didn’t all together help though(). I’ve now come to the conclusion that a little competition for your time actually boosts output. One day I’ll find the happy balance. So the question becomes: When does it all become too much? When does “being productive” become “overwhelming brain crowding craziness (aka The Multi-Tasking Monster)?” Ive noticed that, for me, I can only do one passive activity and one active one. For example, I can listen to music (passive) while writing this post (active). It actually makes me more productive to do so, as a quiet rooms makes me uneasy. But I cant have the TV on while writing this post because, if you think about it, watching TV is a fairly active task, even while lying on the couch not moving a muscle. The conversations on TV just becomes too distracting for me I cant stay focused on the active task at hand. Once you find the right balance for you, you can then work on cutting yourself off at that point. Yes, Im listening to music while writing but I’m stopping myself from listening to music, drafting this post, stopping mid-sentence, checking the email that just came in, then opening a link of something I want to check out, then reading something new, then coming back to finish writing (”I was mid-sentence?! What the heck did I want to say again?!”). While The Multi-Tasking Monster likes that Im still doing 2 things at once, hes certainly not going to take over the world or even get a decent meal with that measly number of tasks! (Insert evil laugh here). Also, when I decided to write this post I knew that I had enough time to do so without having to stop and do something else. 15 minutes ago I was about to start writing, but I realized I only had 5 minutes before I had to get my laundry (dont be jealous!). So I did a 5-minute task started this draft after I came back from the laundry room, knowing I had a free 45 minutes. It feels awesome to get this done in (at least) half the time it usually takes me, and with a clearer head. Its still a struggle to control myself from clicking over to the tab marked Gmail (1), but the results are motivating me to keep going. Whats you cut-off point? When does the Multi-Tasking Monster rear his ugly head in your life?