Coupling

Multitasking is a waste of time. It’s incredibly inefficient and disrespectful. If you are a multitasker, reading the previous sentence probably made your muscles tighten up. 

Unclench your fist. 

If you’re one of those unicorns who can multitask effectively, while still maintaining optimum focus, count yourself lucky. 

As for me, I wasn’t born with a multitasking gene. How do people FaceTime, listen to music and work at the same time? I once tried that and ended up typing out the lyrics to Beyonce’s “7/11.” 

I prefer to be completely locked in, to the exclusion of all else. When that’s not possible or practical, I’ve found that the best alternative to multitasking is what I call “coupling.”

Coupling entails combining two activities to maximum effect. 

But, not just any two activities. 

The key to coupling success is two-fold: 

One: There must be some reward baked into the activity. For example, if you love music but hate working out you might consider coupling the two activities. So, working out becomes an excuse for you to listen to music. This makes you more motivated to work out. 

Two: One of the activities must be passive, and the other must be active. For example, in the workout example, the exercise is the active element and the music is passive. This allows you to concentrate on the more valuable action.

Combining two active elements of coupling is a recipe for disaster. It’s like FaceTiming and writing or walking while watching a movie. You end up doing both poorly. 

If you’re a multitasker looking to develop more focus, consider coupling instead.