Laser beam effect, an apt strategy for tasks execution

Photo credit: Coach Lisa Walker

By Promise Akabudu

Many times, the truckload of activities filing up our to-do list can be  overwhelming and in a bid to deliver and still be in sync with time, we start wishing if anything can be done to increase the number of hours we have in a day.

This is almost the state of every teenager and young adult who are very active and have boisterous schedules. Where it gets the more crazy is when there’s now a time frame to fit all the enormous tasks into.

This is where it gets giddy for for an average sedentary worker with myriads of paper work to tidy up, then hectic chores to meet up at home and God help you, if you have kids to take care of, it really could be very challenging.

The stress and pressure that comes with meeting up work demands and meeting it in record time can be onerous and how we deal with them can determine what becomes of us now and later in life. I will save the effects of this dilemma for later.

In a bid to adjust to the crazy demand of life and work, a lot of people resort to Multi tasking.

Allen David in his book ” Getting things done” opines that, human multitasking is an apparent human ability to perform more than one task, or activity over a short period of time, mostly an hour. An example of multitasking is taking phone calls while typing an email and reading a book.

This has almost become a norm for the average young adult in a dynamic society that places so much emphasis on how much work that needs be done within a minimal time frame. We see many people try to combine one or more activities at the same time so as to achieve quick result and save more time. But does this really help ? Let’s find out .

Multitasking can seem like an advantage, especially in the business world, but constantly performing several tasks at once can lead to a drop in productivity says Carol Deeb.

Also, it is to be noted that though the brain is complex and can perform a myriad of tasks, it cannot multitask well. There are lots of setbacks to this approach. One of them is lack of focus. When working on several tasks simultaneously, such as talking on the phone, checking your email and writing a report, you can lose the focus required to adequately complete one item. Too many distractions break your concentration, which later on you will need more time to come back to one task, find where you left off, and try to recreate your thought pattern.

In addition, multitasking can result in time wastage due to human context switching and apparently, will cause more errors as result of insufficient attention.

Studies have shown that it is impossible to focus on more than one task at a time. Therefore, people who multitask not only perform each task less suitably, but lose time in the process. The time they are trying to save eventually becomes wasted in the process.

Multitasking can also lead to overstimulation of the brain function thereby causing memory impairment, increased stress levels, etc

One may now ask what needs be done to save time and yet be more efficient ? I will propose the laser beam effect, laser beam ? Yes your guess is as good as mine.

The laser beam works by being focused to very tiny spots, achieving a very high irradiate, or they can have very low divergence in order to concentrate their power at a great distance.

The above is the basic principle of the laser beam, channelling lots of energy into a tiny space, and trust me the effect of the beam cannot be overemphasized. We’ve seen even the toughest of materials (Diamonds for instance) crumble at the mercy of the laser beam. Why? Great amount of energy channeled to even the most insignificant things works lots of wonders.

So how does this relate to me in carrying out my activities or tasks, one may ask? Simple! Learn to prioritize your activities according to their importance, how quick it is needed, and or how valuable it is at that particular time. Having done this, put unalloyed, undivided attention to each task at a time and see how fast you can achieve this tasks. If you are consistent at this you will be surprised how much task you would have achieved in the same time frame you complained is limited, and with less stress to deal with. In no time your to-do list like the diamond to the laser beam, drops to your mercy and life’s good afterall.

In addition to this, you will achieve a considerably more efficiency in your output, this is because errors and mistakes arising from distractions and divided attention would be brought to the barest minimum.

This works irrespective of the field you find yourself, be you an employer, or an employee, or a minister of the gospel or a freelancer. Remember nobody wins a battle by spraying bullets around without caution, but by being strategic in planning and approach.

Remember, learn to prioritize your tasks well. Though, priority can differ with moods, but one thing I will say you do always with your tasks is, start doing them once they come to you. Do not let them pile up as this could be burdensome. Start with the easiest one then, gradually do the complex ones then channel your energy to each task at a time and like the laser beam, you will be able to cut through any task with maximum efficiency, less time and little or no stress.