With so much talk about Getting Things Done and time management, I’ve come to realize that it can all be summed up into one, short phrase:

One thing at a time…

Multitasking is a myth. It is a time-waster in and of itself.

Most people cannot quickly move from one task to another without having to bring some type of closure to the first, some type of ramping down of the “Go! Go!” furor of the current task at hand. Then you have to use mental resources to remind yourself of where you left off, so that you can come back to it later.

Then to start another task, you have to ramp yourself up to a mental rhythm. If this is a continuing project you have to remember where you left off and what can you do in the time you have at hand, while still bearing the weight of the other tasks you are juggling.

Do one task. Do it to completion. Check it off your list.

Move on…