How to use Carlson’s Law to Elevate Your Focus
Carlson’s Law Introduced
We all have experienced those days when it seems like you start with a long list of tasks to complete before the end of the day and then more tasks are added as soon as you begin something. Then there are those things that happen unexpectedly. Everything still has to be completed.
Carlson’s Law states that interrupted work will take longer and be less effective than if the same task was completed in a continuous manner without any breaks.
Carlson’s Law is also know as the law of homogeneous sequences. Same task performed in the same block of time. This relates directly to time blocking or planning out your schedule to only perform certain tasks at a scheduled time. Carlson Law ascribes to the basis that multi-tasking does not pay off.
Many of our professions are not set up this way because there are numerous interruptions hat occur in between us begin able to complete what we must accomplish. This also occurs at home. Have you ever thought: what would happen if I could just get this done from start to finish without stopping? Based on Carlson’s Law, you should finish quicker and your work should be better than if you stopped to address interruptions or to switch tasks and come back.
Sune Carlson is credited with this law. He was a Swedish economist that studied CEOs and their level of productivity.
The downfall of multi-tasking
The downfall of multi-tasking has many facets. When you are performing a task, your brain readies itself for what is to come. Energy and your thought process is geared towards whatever activity you are participating in. You even think about next steps. With interrupted tasks, the projection of a plan is inhibited. You can not prepare.
Increase in time for task completion is created because you have to refocus your attention again and again. You have to begin a task again; however you are already at a deficit because of the energy you have already used earlier in the task. In order to return to the efficiency you were working at before an interruption occurred, you have to take time and focus to get there.
When you switch between many tasks, you have to change your thought process based on the task. This takes time. This time then creates a longer time for the tasks to be completed overall.
Task focus: a great challenge
We are bombarded with so many stimuli throughout our daily lives. I do not have to provide a list here, but think about when you started to read this blog post. How did you even get to this post? Was it social media? Was it an email? Did someone tell you to check it out? Now that you are here, you have probably have experienced a few alerts on your phone or either a text message or another life interruption.
Our current environment is set up to allow for divided attention. We are not conditioned to focus on one thing. Part of this is a tactic to get us to follow this person over another, spend more money, or purchase more things. Try to get the next best thing. In getting our attention on this thing, we have to been exposed to it in hopes we will return to it in the near future. We also feel the need to follow everyone’s life through social media. Every thing is moving so quickly.
When it is time to sit and focus, we often feel like we are missing something. If I am here doing this completely, what about that other thing that may be going on without me? It is that fear of missing out that drives us to divided attention.
Interruptions can slow you down
In order to be able to return to whatever task you were working on, a significant amount of time is required to allow for you to regain your focus. Those interruptions shift your focus and clutter your brain space with thoughts that are not pertinent to what you were originally focused on. Scheduled breaks are good for your mental wellbeing and focus; however constant interruptions are not beneficial to your progress with a certain task.
Carlson’s Law challenge
What are your thoughts about Carlson’s Law? It can be an extreme challenge to be able to incorporate it into your daily life. I am the type of person who wants to sit down and get something down all at once. That is my personality. I know I work better that way. I want to put on some music in the background, then I want to get to work. I look forward to when I can have those time blocks to complete tasks. I even mute my phone when I really want no interruptions. Do you think you will be able to use some of the principles of Carlson’s Law in your daily life?
Other resources about Carlson’s Law
https://medium.com/swlh/increase-your-productivity-with-the-11-laws-of-time-5f7e21e85b71
Other productivity laws
Be sure to check out the other productivity laws that have been featured on this blog. These posts should aid you in being able to identify time wasters and help you overcome them. The addition of Carlson’s Law should assist you even more in accomplishing those difficult tasks. Completion of tasks allows you to get to the things that matter like spending time with your spouse or your children or taking time for yourself. I have experienced many moments when I am working or doing household chores and I think to myself I would much rather be doing something else. Anything else. But things have to be completed. That is why I always on the look out for ways to improve getting my priorities out of the way and moving onto the activities that I truly enjoy.
Here are some of those productivity posts on Find Your Flourish!
I am passionate about optimal work life balance and I can help you excel in both areas without compromising in either area because I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals. I created this blog to discuss topics on our journey of life that we experience daily. Come on this journey with me and Find Your Flourish!
I am so glad you decided to read this post.
Be you, be well, be focused! Find Your Flourish!
|Shanna|