How To Multi-Task - Multi-Tasking From The NLP Point Of View
Multi-tasking - what is that? How does that work? My oldest son recently became a Pa and made the comment that he would now have to learn to multitask as he had to look after the baby for some days of the week. Now I've run a business with a baby on my hip so I know a thing or two about the kind of multi-tasking he's talking about, namely doing more than one thing at a time. However, I learned some harsh lessons on the reality of multi-tasking so I thought this was a good opportunity to put the baby down, place the NLP virtual reality headgear over the left eye and take a look at multi-tasking from the NLP point of view.
Oooh ...
Did you spot all those visual references there?
Good, good. Let's proceed.
Now there is an urban myth that people have 7 pus minus 2 bits of attention they can place on presumably 7+-2 different tasks. Seriously, I don't know where that came from and I don't care; I've never met anyone who can place their attention in more than one place at a time.
The whole deal with multi-tasking is that one or more of the multi tasks must be something you can do unconsciously, aka not requiring your conscious attention to any degree whatsoever.
For example, washing up and having a conversation at the same time.
Or watching TV and ironing.
The typical housewife kind of stuff.
So the next time you do something like that, for example, driving and listening to the radio, pay some attention to how you do the paying of attention to these two tasks.
What you will find is that you physically cannot pay attention, consciously, to two things at the same time.
The minute you focus on your feet on the gas pedal and on the break pedal, you'll lose track of what's going with the radio. And your feet "don't drive by themselves" either. There is a flash fast switch of attention just before your feet do something to the pedals, in response to something that's "caught your attention" such as a red break light coming on on the car in front of you.
The truth is that people don't have seven plus minus two bits of attention or focus to give.
They have only ONE. That's all, and that's it.
When you multi-task, you switch quickly SEQUENTIALLY from one thing to the other.
That can appear so smooth that it does look as though you're doing many things at the same time, but it only appears that way.
You have at any one given point in space and time ONE bit of attention to give.
Now don't get this confused with the representation systems. We have six of them, and in an ideal world, all six would be streaming their information straight in, through and out all the time and at the same time to create a state of lucid awareness of the environment and yourself in the context of that.
If the consciousness can sit back and let that happen, we have a true Zen state that is so rare, people build religions around it.
However, as soon as the consciousness kicks in and "focuses" on some thing, be that a sight, sound, scent, taste, feeling or sensation, all that other information is temporarily excluded.
One presumes that this is a natural survival system, that it is useful to be able to exclude everything but that which the conscious mind finds interesting in the environment. The purpose may be a light flash at the horizon that tells us there's water there, or an orange stripey movement between the trees, alerting us there's a tiger about.
It may be a sound that causes us to turn our heads in that direction; a feeling that makes you step back, a sensation that makes you stop and scan the environment more closely, sequentially, consciously.
But what of the multi-tasking, you ask?
So now I've got a baby AND a company with all the many bits and pieces they both require for smooth running. HOW do you multi-task?
Well let's start with a story of how not to multi-task.
I learned this one day when I was trying to do some important work on the computer for the company. I was also and at the same time, trying to cook the dinner and look after my two boys, my four dogs and two cats.
On that very day it happened that everything melted down, and after the most horrendous two hours of constant struggle, stress and madness I ended up with accidentally deleting all the work I'd done, the dinner burned and inedible, the dogs fighting, the kids screaming and the whole house an unspeakable mess.
That's when I had my moment of perfect clarity on the topic of multi-tasking.
Namely, that you can't.
You have to task SEQUENTIALLY and switch FAST.
Then what you get is something that to an outsider looks like, seems like multi-tasking way beyond seven plus minus two but is simply all about being in control of where you place your conscious attention, when, how, and for long.
And most of all, being able to switch instantaneously and smoothly between a multitude of tasks - sequentially.
Any multiple tasks you might need to undertake "at the same time" - such as in my example, the work, the kids, the dinner and the dogs - each require your attention.
Your focused attention, not 10% of your attention.
You can't work with a complicated spreadsheet whilst not looking at it, or whilst trying to have a conversation. You need to keep your eyes not just on the screen but on that one line of data you're dealing with, and you need your hand on the keyboard on the right keys, and your mind has to keep the structure of what you're trying to do and how to achieve that, step by step.
Likewise, if you are trying to fob off any creature with 10% of your attention when they are attention seeking, such as mumbling "Muhummm ..." when asked an outright question, without eye contact, that doesn't work either.
And as to the gas cooker with the pot of stew, it certainly won't forgive you for vaguely thinking in its direction, or ever learn not to seek attention as it burns, and burns, and keeps on burning until someone pays some focused attention to it, gets up, and turns it off.
So that's the first lesson.
In ANY "multi-tasking" endeavour, ALL the tasks need 100% of your attention.
Always, and absolutely.
That is no different for driving, as it is for "keeping the wife happy," or "the dogs amused" or "that project on track" or "that dinner cooking on the stove."
However, it is entirely up to you how you arrange that sequentially, or how many tasks you can take on to do sequentially by switching between them fast and as and when it is necessary to do so.
This plate spinning video shows you exactly how real multi-tasking is done, step by step.
It also shows that if you don't know what you're doing, or you don't understand or can't perform the task, you're pretty fucked on any multi-tasking, so that's a sub-lesson we may take a note of.
But ignoring the guy who can't do it at all, look at the one who knows how to spin plates.
For each one, there is a time of focused attention as he sets up the project (the plate) to start spinning.
That would be, for example:
- Loading up the spread sheet and getting it ready to start working on it
- Putting the dogs out in the garden
- Settling the kids down with a video
- Putting the dinner on the stove.
... in my ongoing example.
If you don't set up your project right, all is lost and nothing good can come of it; so all these things need to be done for every project you're supposed to "multi-task" "at the same time" - set it up correctly.
Now we also do this in an order and sequence with the most urgent task getting attention first - the first plate you set to spinning.
In my example, I'd go for putting the dogs in the garden, the kids can "help" with that. Now they're out of the way and not running around madly, it is much easier to settle the kids. That's the second plate now spinning.
Without ado, we head for the stove, chop vegetables and get the stew ready.
While we do that, we check every so often (sequentially) on the state of the other spinning plates.
The dogs had enough of being in the garden and need action to "stop the plate from falling" - i.e. from getting too stressed out and overwrought. At the moment, they're "spinning nicely" they're in a good mood and will come in quietly and happily.
So we switch tasks, leave the stew, let the dogs in.
While we're there, we ask the kids if they want some juice. They're happy that mommy cares and so we get them some juice, finish off the stew and set to it cook.
Three plates spinning, now we start task number four, loading up the spread sheet.
Now, all four plates are spinning.
Where people go wrong is to fall into a "work mode" of where you get to focus only on a spread sheet for hours at a time. That's fine if you're in the office and paid to do that and you have nothing better to do; in the real world, we have four plates spinning now and they all need to be kept spinning before any of them fall and shatter and the whole game is lost.
This involves learning to "come out of the computer trance" after each entry line or natural stopping point and check on the progress/state of the other multi-tasking plates.
Stir the stew. Pat the dog on the head. Smile at the kids. Back to the data.
And hey presto, we have "multi-tasking" in action.
With a little practice, you can learn to spin more than just four plates.
But never, ever "at the same time" - only ever sequentially.
So, the moral of the tale and the pattern of real life multi-tasking once more in brief.
1. Become aware of the projects involved in the time frame you're dealing with. These are the number of plates you will have to be spinning.
2. Organise your projects in a sequential order to set up each one with full, focused, absolute attention ONE AT A TIME. Or in other words, make sure your plates are spinning as smoothly as possible to give you the longest possible amount of time before you have to deal with them again.
3. When all projects have been set up, learn to switch attention from the project you are working on to check on all the others often so you are aware of how they're doing.
4. When a plate starts to wobble, IMMEDIATELY take action and put your attention where it is required. A stitch in time saves nine - a pat on the head or a full attention smile at the right moment stops an escalation process where attention seeking behaviour gets worse and worse.
5. Keep a positive attitude to ALL projects - they're all equally deserving of attention (and if they're not, then why are you even wasting your time on them?!) and your attention is what keeps all the plates spinning nicely and from falling. Don't groan and moan when one or the other plate requires your attention - just give it immediately, quickly, happily and move on.
6. Consider the whole multi-tasking operation as a system that flows smoothly until all the tasks have been completed.
7. With practice, you can do many more than just 7 plus minus 2 things in a day and it seems like you are a multi-tasking wonder person who has no trouble at all keeping as many plates in the air as they choose to.
So that's it - the truth of multi-tasking revealed.
Think sequentially. Think plate spinning. And most of all, practice moving your attention smoothly from task to the other. Excellent mental exercise for intelligent, creative people.
