The fallacy of multitasking?

Kevin exposes a fallacy:

Concentration…fortunes are built on it—or lost by the lack of it…

Here’s a clue…if you’re a salesman, you have to sell; if you’re a writer, you have to write; if you’re an accountant, you have to be crunching numbers. The more time and energy spent doing something other than your primary activity, the less progress you’ll make in your career and the less income you’ll earn.

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I used to struggle with this myself …

My natural tendency is to do a LOT of things … at once.

My father (my then business partner) used to tell me to forget the ‘new business’ and just focus on his one.

My wife used to tell me to focus.

Then I did an online ‘psych test’ about ‘money and personality’ (I highly recommend this one: http://www.kolbe.com/assessmentTools/assessment-tools.cfm#rindex you’ll want to do the A-Index AND the Financial MO+) …

I learned two things about myself that changed my mind … then, my life:

The A-Index told me that I was an entrepreneur – this may be “well, duh” to you, given the title of this blog, but – at the time – it was news to me: I was a struggling entrepreneur, but wasn’t feeling very well cut out for the ‘job’.

The Financial MO+ Index told me that I work best by having “several balls in the air at once” – it’s the way my mind works best, the report said, and it was 100% true.

So, these reports – all $150 worth – gave me the confidence to work according to my instincts … and, a 356% compounded return on my investment 😉

Kevin’s ‘fallacy’ may well be true for 99% of people. But, it’s not true for me.

And – just maybe – if you want to achieve results that only 1% of the population ever dare aspire to and achieve, it won’t be true for you, either?

In any event … I learned to follow my instincts and so should you!

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3 thoughts on “The fallacy of multitasking?

  1. Hi Adrian, Thanks for linking my post to yours. I love opposing positions because they help give us a 360 degree view of an issue.

    You’re evidence that “one shoe DOESN’T fit all”, and I have great respect for that.

    But as you say, concentration and focus are probably the key for 99% of the population. Most people struggle toward success because they’re too distracted, trying to wear too many hats, and that keeps them from doing what they do best.

    One of many good books on the subject is The Power of Focus (Canfield, Hansen and Hewitt).

  2. @ Kevin – Absolutely! Just because it worked for me, doesn’t mean it will work for others. My message was one of having the courage of following your instincts (or, at least, having the courage to TRY and see what happens) even if against popular opinion …

  3. Hi Adrian

    I’m at the other end of the spectrum from you – in my field most of my work is in a highly specialised niche. Focusing on that niche was the key to a successful career for me.

    Of course, if you’re starting your own business with limited resources and limited ability to pay others to do things for you, then multi-skilling (at the risk of being overly pedantic, multitasking has a slightly different meaning to me) is probably going to be the only option.

    Cheers
    traineeinvestor

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