Time management is a struggle for many professionals and in the past, those that could multi-task were revered and thought to be "super productive." Not so says Dave Crenshaw, and I have to admit I agree! As a recovering Multitask-er (or Switchtasker as he puts it) I was excited to get to this book. Dave shares some fantastic insight in an easy-to-read format. Keep reading for my perspective on this book, key points discussed and valuable resources provided in the book.

My History as a Recovering Multi-Tasker

Before I go into what Dave has to say about Multitasking, I thought it would help to share a personal story. You see, back when I was in college and on into my corporate jobs after, I thought that I was the world's best multi-tasker! I always had a million projects going at the same time and believed that keeping all of the plates spinning at the same speed was the best and most effective way to work. In fact, the more I had on my plate, the more "dedicated" I was to my job. If I had to work 90 hours a week to get all of those things done, then that is what I did and I wanted everyone to know it! (Yes, not very healthy, I know.)

Since then I have done a lot more learning on effective and productive work systems and have learned that I was not accurate in my thinking. You see, multitasking is a myth! No matter how hard I tried, I could not get my brain to think two things at the exact same time.

I'm a "recovering" multi-tasker. I still fall back into bad habits every now and again. Sometimes it is hard to not jump into those habits when others ask about competing priorities; however, deep down, I know that I will not get as much done if I do that.

The Book

I have read numerous (count 100s) of time management books and this one is one of the best. While the book covers a topic that many dread, Dave has done an outstanding job of storytelling that hits on very important points on successful time/priority management.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was not written in text-book-how-to-manual style. Instead, Dave tells a story that outlines all of the lessons he taught one executive client and the positive results that came out of the interaction. I opened the book early Monday afternoon and read it cover-to-cover in one sitting. Very entertaining and insightful.

In addition to an engaging writing style, Dave has added some fabulous exercises at the end of the book that will help you evaluate your situation and start making positive changes in a short amount of time.

If you are someone that struggles with attention deficit disorder or someone that has difficulty focusing on the task at hand, "The Myth of Multitasking" is a must read.

What It Covers

• Interruptions by co-workers and employees throughout the day
• Distractions from electronic sources, such as e-mail, voice mail, "Crackberries", and computers
• Difficulty focusing on the task at hand
• Inability to pay attention to others when they are speaking
• The rumor that women are better multitaskers than men
• Juggling work and home life at the same time
• The important nature of strategic standing meetings
• Doing IT ALL Gets Nothing Done

I won't give it away, but this book has a great exercise on how to prove that multi-tasking makes it harder to actually get things done. Do the exercise and you'll see for yourself!

Email, Instant Messaging & Text Messages Oh My!

I've talked about it before. In today's society, it is difficult to get away from all of the electronic gadgets that keep us "on" all of the time. Unplugging, even for a short while, is not readily accepted by our co-workers, clients, friends and family. (But not impossible! I'm actually in a Pittsburgh hotel room as I write this post doing just that!) The false assumption is that the more gadgets we have, the more we can get done. The reality is that the more gadgets we have the more we can get done half-way. Completing projects and tasks is harder than ever for most of my clients.

Interruptions Cost You More Than You Think!

In a way that most of today's workers can relate, Dave illustrates the constant interruptions by our technology and others knocking on our office door. He shows you how to handle those interruptions and how to deal with the distracting electronic communication too! This fairly new story is great for

• overworked,
• stressed-out,
• hectic,
• too-busy-to-talk-to-you-or-anyone-else professionals; and
• just about the rest of the white-collar labor market

Who could you be if your story was no longer holding you down? Stephanie LH Calahan works with intelligent, highly motivated, busy entrepreneurs, executives, producers and other professionals to teach them how to do more with their time, space and information. She believes that life is meant to be lived and businesses are meant to be profitable. Fabulous vision combined with practical systems can make that happen very quickly. Learn more: http://www.CalahanSolutions.com

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