Slow Motion Multitasking

Want to Know the Secret to Enhanced Creativity? It's Slow Motion Multitasking

I happened upon this YouTube video of author Tim Harford, and I am wowed by the simplicity of his logic.

I am equally amazed to realize that I have been doing this very thing, but I was doing it wrong sometimes.

In the words of Tim Harford, “We’re used to lapsing into multitasking out of desperation, we’re in a hurry, we wanna do everything at once.”

I now realize I have to slow down and not feel hurried. Savor the experience, the learning, the time spent on each project. That’s Slow Motion Multitasking.

But I want to add to this principle the value of setting deadlines.

Slowing down does not necessarily mean giving yourself an unlimited amount of time to finish projects.

I work better when I set a deadline for myself.

I multitask. But if I don’t set a deadline, I will forever be writing and reading and creating without producing any output or book at all.

If we don’t produce or accomplish anything out of our efforts, then, it’s just wasted creativity, don’t you think?

Here are my takeaways from Tim Harford‘s lecture:

Slow Motion Multitasking

What it is: Having multiple projects on the go at the same time, moving backwards and forwards between topics as the mood takes you or as the situation demands, but in slow motion.

Reasons Why Slow Motion Multitasking Can Work

Creativity often comes when we take an idea from its original context and move it somewhere else. Think outside the box, and shift from one box to another.
Learning to do one thing well can often help us do something else. It’s possible to cross-train our mind like athletes.
It can provide assistance when we’re stuck. (e.g., writer’s block, etc.) Bonus: It helps lessen stasis, stress, and avoid depression.