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7 Unconventional Insights To Level Up Your Productivity

Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

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The Cost of Multitasking in Work and Productivity

Our brain cannot effectively handle concurrent multitasking. Focusing on multiple tasks concurrently or even switching between them over a few hours is not possible due to the limitations of our planning and motivation loop. This is why going back and forth between tasks, such as constantly checking email, can be psychologically draining and lead to task freeze. Working on a few key projects at a time, using a pull-based methodology, is beneficial to avoid the overhead tax generated by having too many ongoing projects. The overhead tax includes administrative work, meetings, planning, and cognitive load even for projects not actively being worked on, leading to a decrease in mental energy available for actual work. Companies should adopt a system where work sits in a holding tank and individuals pull in new tasks only when ready, to reduce the overhead tax. Having too many projects on one's plate leads to an overhead spiral, where most time and energy is spent on project maintenance, causing a significant decrease in productivity. Thus, focusing on three active projects at a time is considered most effective for productivity and outcomes.

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