The quest to increase effectiveness and efficiency is everywhere. It can be heard in meetings where the boss talks about “doing more with less” or seen on television commercials by “save time” and order a Peloton bike or treadmill.

Before we begin our search for the latest productivity app or lifehack, we must first look at habits or beliefs that are holding us back.

Why are most of us not as effective as we would like to be? Because we act on false beliefs.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain

False Belief #1 – Stay Busy
The clock is ticking, and you feel the pressure of time; therefore you must stay busy.

And with this belief comes the thinking that everything is necessary and everything must get attention. So our day is spent trying to move 100 things an inch rather than three things a mile. The important things never get the time or attention they deserve.

Remedy – Subtract and prioritize constantly. Ask yourself two questions:
– If I just worked fours hours today, how would I spend your time?
– What is my #1 priority today?

False Belief #2 – More is Better
You have to get more done, so you must multitask.

The more I do, the more my quality of work and focus decrease.

The term “multitasking” came from when people were observing computers and how they could jump from one task to the next. And it gave the illusion that they were doing it all at the same time. Someone juggling five balls still has to catch and throw one at a time.

It’s not that we don’t have enough time. It’s that we create an unrealistic to-do list in the time we have.

Remedy – Focus on one task at a time.

by Eric Papp – Effectiveness Expert

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