I’ve been reading a lot about efficiency. I’ve been fooling myself for a lot of years, thinking that I’m super efficient because I can do 15 things at once, and my eyes were opened by something simple. I want you to try this: sit down, and look down at your shoes. Make sure they are shoes with laces, and with them already tied, try to untie them both at the same time, with both hands.
I was at my CrossFit box, and I sat there looking stupidly at my shoes, wondering why I couldn’t do it? I had to literally make sure both hands were doing the same thing, at the same time, to get them both untied at the same time. In other words, once I made sure I was only doing ONE thing at ONE time, I was able to get something done efficiently.
There are tons of studies about how much more efficient it is to NOT multi-task, but rather to take a rifle approach and do one thing at a time, completely, and then move on. Some examples of those studies are HERE, and HERE, and HERE. Apply that to finances. One of the problems some of our clients have is paralysis by analysis, meaning they feel so overwhelmed by finances and the number of things they should do: pay off debt, save money, plan for retirement, eliminate taxes, set up their family trust, etc., that they just don’t do any of them.
So, quit trying to multi-task. Pick something you need done, and get it done. If you do, you’ll find that you end up getting more done that way, even though it may be counterintuitive to your way of thinking. Just try it again with your shoes!