Comments on: What’s The Biggest Mistake You Make Each Day? https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/ Thomas LaRock is an author, speaker, data expert, and SQLRockstar. He helps people connect, learn, and share. Along the way he solves data problems, too. Wed, 25 Oct 2017 16:14:36 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 By: 14 Things Sysadmins Can Learn From an Elf - Thomas LaRock https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-13521 Tue, 22 Dec 2015 18:27:37 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-13521 […] to-do list is way too long. Multi-tasking is the biggest mistake you make each day. Learn to recognize what tasks you can complete in a day, a week, a month, and a year. And make […]

]]> By: ThomasLaRock https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9428 Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:35:00 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9428 In reply to Amy Blankenship.

Amy,

That’s a fair point. However, how many tasks do you believe you should be trying to switch contexts for? Three? Five? Seven?

At some point you hit a limit. Some projects require more focus and longer (uninterrupted) hours. Piling more work onto someone isn’t a way to get them to accomplish more, not if you are expecting a certain level of quality.

Tom

]]> By: Amy Blankenship https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9423 Mon, 26 Aug 2013 15:06:00 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9423 When I say I am good at multitasking, I mean that when I hit a stopper on one task I will switch to another task. Yes, the quality of the work on each task will be a bit lower than if you were able to stick with each one until it was finished, but I can’t imagine just staring at the wall waiting for whatever the blockage is to clear up–and even that would be a form of multitasking. Unless you work on an exceptionally well-resourced, well-managed team where everything you need for all tasks is at your fingertips, I think you pretty much _have_ to multitask or you won’t be very productive.

]]> By: Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 09/08/13 - SQL Server - SQL Server - Toad World https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9324 Wed, 14 Aug 2013 15:51:56 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9324 […] What’s The Biggest Mistake You Make Each Day? – Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) […]

]]> By: Something for the Weekend - SQL Server Links 09/08/13 • John Sansom https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9293 Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:40:34 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9293 […] What’s The Biggest Mistake You Make Each Day? – Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) […]

]]> By: ThomasLaRock https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9238 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 20:13:00 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9238 In reply to Rogerio Prudente.

Rogerio,

Thanks for the kind words! I don’t think I’ve ever been entered on “favorites for life” before, I’m honored!

Tom

]]> By: Rogerio Prudente https://thomaslarock.com/2013/08/whats-the-biggest-mistake-you-make-each-day/#comment-9237 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 19:45:00 +0000 http://thomaslarock.com/?p=10727#comment-9237 Man! I could not agree more!
That fallacy is world widespread, thanks to this “generation Z” nonsense, where people claim that they “were born with computers” so they can do several things at the same time that are not “natural” for others, like you said: check twitter, facebook, youtube while working on something else.
Isn’t interesting that the examples of “multi-tasking” are always doing silly things?
I would like to see one of those bozos that claim to be multi-task to try at the same time:

1) Learn quantum physics;
2) Speak over the phone in a different language;
3) Debug a huge stored procedure (well… that may be easy… who knows 😉 )
You post just summarized what I have trying to explain in the past few years and it just entered on my “favorites for life”

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