Time Management & Multitasking

Last week marked a milestone for our team in Parma. We held our very first Curiosity Break, a fantastic initiative introduced by my colleague Julie Papier.

This is an exclusively in-person event where team members have the opportunity to present a topic of their choice to colleagues. It serves as a space to connect, build rapport, and improve public speaking skills, all while letting the rest of the team learn something entirely new.

I was fortunate enough to be one of the “ice breakers” for this inaugural meeting.

The Myth of Multitasking

I delivered a short speech on a topic I have covered previously in Toastmasters and Ignite Madrid: time management and multitasking.

It was rewarding to see the team reacting, asking questions, and challenging some of the ideas. The topic clearly resonates with the hectic lives of modern professionals.

Here are the key takeaways I shared during the session:

• Multitasking is a myth. We often feel efficient when switching between tasks, believing we can do multiple things at once. In reality, our brain needs to readjust every time we change focus (consciously or unconsciously). This results in losing up to 40% of productivity. The solution is single-tasking—focusing on one task until completion.
• Notifications are productivity killers. Even a quick glance at a notification can disrupt focus. Studies show it takes 20+ minutes to regain full concentration. The solution? Turn off email and phone notifications when doing deep work.

Prioritizing with the Eisenhower Matrix

Once we accept that multitasking is not an option and we have silenced our notifications, we still have to manage reality: endless emails, meetings, and projects.

It is crucial to focus on what truly matters. I recommend the Eisenhower Matrix, a simple but powerful prioritization tool:

1. Urgent + Important: Do immediately.
2. Urgent + Non-Important: Minimize (Typically, the urgency is not real, or not ours).
3. Non-Urgent + Important: Plan ahead (Otherwise, they will eventually become urgent!).
4. Non-Urgent + Non-Important: Low priority (Nice to have).

Summary

In short: Forget multitasking, silence distractions, and prioritize wisely!

Kudos to Julie for bringing the idea to life, and to Alessandra Morra and Giorgio Toma (who also led a fantastic Q&A about the imminent digital transformation in Sidel) for taking the lead in organizing the event locally.

I am looking forward to the next one!