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    Singletasking: Get More Done—One Thing at a Time
    Singletasking: Get More Done—One Thing at a Time
    Singletasking: Get More Done—One Thing at a Time
    Ebook180 pages2 hours

    Singletasking: Get More Done—One Thing at a Time

    By Devora Zack

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    About this ebook

    “Can literally double your productivity and performance overnight. This may be the most important book on time and personal management you will ever read.” —Brian Tracy, international bestselling author of Eat That Frog!

    Your mind can’t be two places at once. Too many of us have become addicted to the popular, enticing, dangerously misleading drug of multitasking. Devora Zack was once hooked herself. But she beat it and became more efficient, and you can too.

    Zack marshals convincing neuroscientific evidence to prove that you really can’t do more by trying to tackle several things at once—it’s an illusion. There is a better way to deal with all the information and interruptions that bombard us today. Singletasking explains exactly how to clear and calm your mind, arrange your schedule and environment, and gently yet firmly manage the expectations of people around you so that you can accomplish a succession of tasks, one by one—and be infinitely more productive. Singletasking is the secret to success and sanity.

    “Devora Zack shows us how doing one thing at a time reduces stress, increases efficiency, and produces higher quality results. If you want to work smarter, not harder, read this book!” —Ken Blanchard, #1 New York Times-bestselling coauthor of The One Minute Manager®

    “Don’t let Zack’s lighthearted tone fool you—Singletasking is backed by hard science, and this book’s pragmatic advice can really change your work and your life.” —David Bach, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire

    “Zack shows readers how they can manage the expectations of others, unplug from technology (at times), and operate in the moment.” —Library Journal
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 4, 2015
    ISBN9781626562639
    Singletasking: Get More Done—One Thing at a Time
    Author

    Devora Zack

    Devora Zack is CEO of Only Connect Consulting, Inc. a leadership development firm with over 100 clients, including the Smithsonian, Australian Institute of Management, Cornell University, John Deere, US Department of Education, and Mensa.

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      Book preview

      Singletasking - Devora Zack

      MORE PRAISE FOR SINGLETASKING

      Zack’s system is thoughtful, simple, and practical, so it’s no surprise that it works.

      —Richard J. McAlonan, Executive Director, Ernst & Young LLP

      Zack makes a compelling case for the merits of living a singletasked life.

      —Rachel Lam, Senior Vice President and Group Managing Director Time Warner Investments

      Multitasking is madness—you wouldn’t want to be operated on by a surgeon who was checking her email every five minutes, would you? Devora offers simple, straightforward advice for getting far more done than you ever would hopping around like a frog on a hot skillet.

      —Deborah S. Cohn, former Trademarks Commissioner United States Patent and Trademark Office

      In our hyperconnected world where we fear missing out on anything, Zack delivers a message we need to hear—the key to personal and organizational success is focusing on what matters most.

      —Patrick Fitzgerald, Vice President, SiriusXM Radio

      Zack provides the artillery to slay the multitasking monster, creating wholeness, happiness, and peak performance.

      —Amy Lemon, Program Manager, Smithsonian Institution

      Zack gives us a much-needed wake-up call about the dangers of a distracted mind.

      —Jeff Weirens, M&A Consulting Leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP

      A great read while you’re catching up on email, finishing that proposal, and preparing performance feedback for your staff … Zack connects with her readers in a light, funny style that makes this book a delightful read.

      —Mike Brennan, retired intelligence executive, National Reconnaissance Office

      This book could save your life. Multitasking has become a fatal distraction that can ruin your health, your relationships, and your work. But now there’s a cure: singletasking. Read this intensely engaging, laugh-out-loud funny, and down-to-earth practical book now—you’ll be glad you did, and so will those you live and work with.

      —Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

      Don’t be seduced by the false promise of multitasking! Instead, be seduced by the insight and humor of Devora Zack, who shows you how to really make your mind work at peak efficiency.

      —Shai Novik, President, OPKO Biologics

      Multitasking is like trying to look in two directions at once: it seems like it’d be cool, but it can’t be done and makes your head hurt trying. Devora Zack helps you accomplish more than you ever thought possible using tips and techniques that genuinely work!

      —David Meisegeier, Vice President, ICF International

      I used to multitask constantly, thinking it was the only way to get through my day. After reading this book, I’m a convert.

      —Hiro Yamaguchi, General Manager of Corporate Strategy, TEPCO, Japan

      Zack dispels our basic assumptions that multitasking is a sine qua non to achievement and proves in a most informative and entertaining manner that focused singletasking is the true path to achieving our goals.

      —Howard Wiener, Partner, KPMG LLP

      Management myth buster Devora Zack’s new target is the fabled beast known as multitasking. While a one-man band may entertain and amuse, Zack’s new book repeatedly proves that the dedicated, single-task-focused individual achieves quantifiable results time and time again.

      —Dave Summers, Director of Digital Media Production, New Media Stage Management, American Management Association

      When confronted with multiple tasks that must be completed expeditiously, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that they all can be tackled simultaneously. Zack demonstrates (with evidence) why we’ve had it all wrong.

      —Ann-Marie Luciano, Partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

      As a customer of Devora’s services at two Fortune 500 companies, I can attest that her methods produce tangible results. Singletasking identifies opportunities for improvement and targets the right actions to bring out the best in people and organizations.

      —Jeff Martin, former human resources executive, CSC and America Online

      I always suspected that those who prided themselves on being able to do a lot of things simultaneously weren’t necessarily superior; this book proves it.

      —P. J. Kuyper, President and CEO, Motion Picture Licensing Corporation

      I thought I was supposed to pride myself on being able to do a lot of things simultaneously—but I’m too exhausted! Thanks to Devora Zack for showing us a better way.

      —Peter Borden, Vice President, Client Services, SapientNitro

      SINGLETASKING

      Other books by Devora Zack:

      Managing for People Who Hate Managing:

      Be a Success by Being Yourself

      Networking for People Who Hate Networking:

      A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhemed,

      and the Underconnected

      SINGLETASKING

      Get More Done—One Thing at a Time

      DEVORA ZACK

      Singletasking

      Copyright © 2015 by Devora Zack

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

      Ordering information for print editions

      Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the Berrett-Koehler address above.

      Individual sales. Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.com

      Orders for college textbook/course adoption use. Please contact Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626.

      Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: [email protected]; or visit www.ingrampublisherservices.com/ Ordering for details about electronic ordering.

      Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

      First Edition

      Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-261-5

      PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-262-2

      IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-263-9

      2015-1

      Text design and composition: Seventeenth Street Studios

      Cover design: Dan Tesser/Studio Carnelian

      Copyeditor: Todd Manza

      Proofreader: Laurie Dunne

      Indexer: Richard Evans

      To my dearest reader:

      You are hereby released from

      the temptation to overachieve.

      Your friend:

      Devora Zack

      P.S. You’re welcome.

      Carpe diem.

      For my sons …

      who charmingly prove the merits of singletasking,

      even under the most rigorous trials.

      CONTENTS

      PREFACE

      INTRODUCTION

      PART ONE: RECLAIM YOUR LIFE

      Chapter 1. The Multitasking Myth

      Chapter 2. The Singletasking Principle

      PART TWO: REGAIN CONTROL

      Chapter 3. Your Mind

      Chapter 4. Your Days

      Chapter 5. Your Interactions

      PART THREE: RECALL WHAT MATTERS

      Chapter 6. Action ≠ Results

      Chapter 7. Home Sweet Home

      APPENDIX: RETORTS TO MULTITASK HARDLINERS

      NOTES

      BIBLIOGRAPHY

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      INDEX

      AT YOUR SERVICE

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      PREFACE

      MYTH

      My life demands that I do

      several things at once.

      REALITY

      I must be fully present

      as I travel through my days.

      The successful man is the average man, focused.

      ANONYMOUS

      Why Me?

      I am despondent over my ample qualifications to write this book.

      That I wrote it verifies my good will and poor judgment. Why would I voluntarily take on the task of authoring a book when more pressing matters demand my immediate attention?

      Let’s breeze through one of my basic weekday mornings. By 8:30 I’ve exercised, done a little writing at my neighborhood café, scanned the headlines, reorganized my to-do list, whizzed to the local grocery, woken and fed my three glorious (aka grumpy-it’s-a-school-day-again) sons, prepped lunches, run the dishwasher, imperceptibly tidied up, tossed in a laundry load, completed three round-trip school runs, returned several client messages, and am en route to my first meeting of the day—chagrined that the clock is closing in on 9:00.

      Don’t be impressed. I’m typically burned out by 11:30.

      Upon arrival at my office, I’m not congratulating myself on my efficiency. No. Awaiting me is a lovely array of supremely urgent messages, meetings, interviews, conference calls, a lunchtime presentation, and a manuscript deadline. How will I ever catch up?

      I won’t! I am a failure. I may as well collapse facedown on my keyboard right now.

      Nothing can save me, with the exception of … singletasking!

      Me and You

      Forget about my career as an author, speaker, and consultant. What matters more is that I understand on a visceral level the titanic demands facing my readers daily—and I have a solution that truly works.

      Nothing is more annoying than getting advice from so-called experts completely out of touch with the reality of normal lives:

      Delegate 90 percent of your tasks; free yourself for creative strategic planning.

      Reduce your workload to fifteen minutes a day; only do the real essentials!

      "Don’t take on

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