Less is More
It’s easy to think that the more we take on in our professional or personal lives, the more successful or fulfilled we will feel. We think to ourselves, “I can squeeze a little more out of an hour here”, or “I’ll just work a little later tonight to finish up my to-do list.” It’s a trap we can all fall into, and before we know it, reaching a “work-life balance” feels like a totally unrealistic goal.
One of the biggest misperceptions that people have about our brains is that we can “multi-task” (simultaneously doing multiple tasks that require focus ), and that “multi-tasking” leads to higher productivity. Research shows it’s actually the opposite – our brains are not capable of “multi-tasking”. Instead, our brains are “task-switching”, switching back and forth between multiple tasks that require our attention and focus, only truly allowing us to focus on one task at a time. Research shows that the more we task-switch, the more mistakes we make, the longer it takes us to do each of those tasks, and the more tired and drained we become (American Psychological Association, 2017; Betts et al., 2019).
When we attempt to “multi-task”, more is actually less.
What would research suggest about how we actually achieve more, with better creativity, quality, and happiness? Less is more.
When we are able to prioritize fewer more important goals and tasks in a day, as well as prioritize meaningful parameters for our job roles, research suggests we are more likely to accomplish those with better quality, more creativity, and more satisfaction. We have more cognitive resources to dedicate to important work and feel less drained as compared to when we stretch ourselves too thin and juggle too many responsibilities. New studies even show that the closer your cell phone is to your desk when working, the lower your working memory and fluid intelligence will be, even if you never interact with your phone at all (Ward et al., 2017)! Even the temptation to check your messages is enough distraction to impede clear thinking, attention, and productivity.
The saying we use over and over again in our professional learning work with PLP partners is Less is always more. Whether we’re guiding teachers in how to design a meaningful lesson for students, or supporting administrators in how to create an impactful presentation for their school board, or coaching a professional team on ways to maximize collaboration by clarifying roles and communication, the key concept is the same – identifying fewer priorities allows for better and faster results. When you focus on achieving a shorter set of important and meaningful goals, you’ll do it more effectively and theoretically feel more fulfilled because the work was purposeful. When you work to communicate a more concise message through teaching or presenting, the people involved will feel less overwhelmed by trying to remember or understand too much, and can more easily concentrate on your simple and important message.
Some critical questions you can ask yourself to see if you can focus on less in your work are:
“In this presentation I’m writing, will my audience be able to remember everything I’m sharing with them? How can I consolidate or chunk this into fewer big ideas, so it will be more memorable and digestible?”
“What kinds of tasks can I group together so that I can be in a flow of a certain kind of thinking, rather than feeling interrupted by different kinds of tasks all day?”
“Looking at my job role, is this really my responsibility or should it belong to someone else? Which tasks squarely fit in my area of expertise and role, that I should focus more of my energy on?”
“Which tasks drain my energy and focus the most? Are they necessary? Can I cut some out, or move them to a different time in my day or week so I maintain energy and excitement for my work?”
“Which kind of work gives me the most energy and focus in my day? How can I spend more of my time doing that kind of work?”
It can be an uncomfortable shift to downsize our mental workload because it feels like we will lose a little control, or disappoint peers, colleagues, or loved ones. Or some of the tasks we don’t like are mandatory parts of our job, and we can’t get out of them. BUT, the place we have the most agency and regain our empowerment is within the areas we can control, which is usually more than we realize. Look at the areas of your work or personal life in which you have control, and begin to think,
“Where can I do less, so I get more meaning and more enjoyment from my time?”
Start small. In Chip and Dan Heath’s book Switch, they share their Shrink the Change philosophy, which encourages change through finding small wins that take a short amount of time. Psychologically, hurdling a small challenge that seems achievable is less scary and more likely to be accomplished than tackling the biggest challenge in front of us (Heath & Heath, 2011).
Once we find what our version of “less” is, the breathing room we get back to focus on what matters most in our work (and life) helps us sustain the passion, energy, and motivation we need to do our work well in the long-run.
References
American Psychological Association. (2006). Multitasking: Switching costs. https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking.
Betts, K., Miller, M., Tokuhama-Espinosa, T., Shewokis, P., Anderson, A., Borja, C., Galoyan, T., Delaney, B., Eigenauer, J., & Dekker, S. (2019). International report: Neuromyths and evidence-based practices in higher education. Online Learning Consortium: Newburyport, MA.
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2011). Switch. Random House Business Books.
Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association of Consumer Research, 2 (2).
About the Author
Julia Skolnik is the CEO and Founder of Professional Learning Partnerships. With over 20 years of experience in the fields of education, neuroscience, and learning sciences, her passion to connect research and practice motivates her work daily. She creates the overarching vision for PLP, designs innovative and research-based professional learning programs that transforms both individual practice and educational systems, and cultivates long-term partnerships with leaders across our network.
