Another very insightful post, Kat! Ugh yeah multi-tasking gets so many of us. I've gotten better over the years, but still have a long way to go. I love the multi-purposing idea! Though I'll need to explore how I can implement this, hmm...
Task switching is a really pernicious thing indeed, especially if you have ADHD and/or autism. It's incredibly draining yet is so normalized in our society! The less task switching we have to do, the better. Amen to having more focus. Batching is a good idea. I don't understand how many (or most) therapists do their notes in between sessions. I only do all admin stuff at the end of the day, when I have no more client appointments! Yes that means I might procrastinate more. But I'd rather procrastinate than to force myself to work when I'd rather zone out, or do something restful in between seeing my clients.
Awww, thanks, Sieran! As always, I so appreciate your comments and insights.
Yah, multitasking has gotten so sneaky!! It feels like a continual process of course correcting to remind myself to be more present.
It’s all about figuring out what works best for you. Everyone will do things differently for their own reasons. They might do theirs soon after while it’s still fresh in their minds post session. For you, does doing something restful between client sessions to help you reset your focus and be more present for them?
Oh? Why do you believe waiting until the end of the day to complete your admin tasks makes you procrastinate more?
As to how to get started, begin with the questions at the end. You’d be surprised by what can come through by answering that simple question.
It’s been quite a fascinating experiment learning and discovering more ways I could multipurpose.
If there’s more interest, I’d be happy to do a workshop on this, too.
For multipurposing, how about when I brush my cat's fur, she's happy and I also get to rest my eyes? 🤣 Or I read a novel, which is relaxing for me and also gives me more inspiration for fiction writing?
Or I type an essay rant to a close friend. This rant helps me process my feelings, figure things out, and connect with my friend at the same time. (They're welcome to rant to me too and I'm happy to listen.)
Yeah my brain just feels like it needs a break between client sessions. A break from therapy or serious stuff, at least. I still read books and articles for fun. Yeah my memory is quite good for therapy sessions, so I don't need to write notes right away.
Haha I mean I can procrastinate because I often DON'T write notes at the end of the day. Though I still handle the invoices so I don't keep the clients waiting. Then again, I only see 6-9 clients a week at the moment. When I have more clients in the future, I probably wouldn't be able to put it off as much.
My therapist is my accountability buddy. I tell them every time I see them how many notes I have left to do. It's always been zero so far, because I'm so motivated to not embarrass myself in front of a fellow therapist, even if it's my own therapist LOL. Accountability works like a charm. Otherwise, I feel no motivation for staying on top of notes...
I used to think that multi-tasking was my super power. The truth was, I was depleting my cognitive abilities, but just didn't realize it because in my 20s and 30s, I could get away with it -- my capacity was tremendous.
But as I've gotten older, it's much harder for me to feel anything but scattered or behind when I jump from task to task.
This post clarifies a way to get more done without distracting yourself. Multi-purposing should be on every leader's productivity must-try list for 2025!
Batching tasks works for me too; my challenge is getting distracted and giving up the batching. I'm getting better though. And I know you're going to ask what distracts me lol! A new challenge usually.
So no more multitasking, just doing the things that fuel us? Is that the right takeaway? I'm a little unsure but would love to know more. I'm noticing the multitasking is just ruining my brain and I have no attention span anymore
Another very insightful post, Kat! Ugh yeah multi-tasking gets so many of us. I've gotten better over the years, but still have a long way to go. I love the multi-purposing idea! Though I'll need to explore how I can implement this, hmm...
Task switching is a really pernicious thing indeed, especially if you have ADHD and/or autism. It's incredibly draining yet is so normalized in our society! The less task switching we have to do, the better. Amen to having more focus. Batching is a good idea. I don't understand how many (or most) therapists do their notes in between sessions. I only do all admin stuff at the end of the day, when I have no more client appointments! Yes that means I might procrastinate more. But I'd rather procrastinate than to force myself to work when I'd rather zone out, or do something restful in between seeing my clients.
Awww, thanks, Sieran! As always, I so appreciate your comments and insights.
Yah, multitasking has gotten so sneaky!! It feels like a continual process of course correcting to remind myself to be more present.
It’s all about figuring out what works best for you. Everyone will do things differently for their own reasons. They might do theirs soon after while it’s still fresh in their minds post session. For you, does doing something restful between client sessions to help you reset your focus and be more present for them?
Oh? Why do you believe waiting until the end of the day to complete your admin tasks makes you procrastinate more?
As to how to get started, begin with the questions at the end. You’d be surprised by what can come through by answering that simple question.
It’s been quite a fascinating experiment learning and discovering more ways I could multipurpose.
If there’s more interest, I’d be happy to do a workshop on this, too.
For multipurposing, how about when I brush my cat's fur, she's happy and I also get to rest my eyes? 🤣 Or I read a novel, which is relaxing for me and also gives me more inspiration for fiction writing?
Or I type an essay rant to a close friend. This rant helps me process my feelings, figure things out, and connect with my friend at the same time. (They're welcome to rant to me too and I'm happy to listen.)
Yeah my brain just feels like it needs a break between client sessions. A break from therapy or serious stuff, at least. I still read books and articles for fun. Yeah my memory is quite good for therapy sessions, so I don't need to write notes right away.
Haha I mean I can procrastinate because I often DON'T write notes at the end of the day. Though I still handle the invoices so I don't keep the clients waiting. Then again, I only see 6-9 clients a week at the moment. When I have more clients in the future, I probably wouldn't be able to put it off as much.
My therapist is my accountability buddy. I tell them every time I see them how many notes I have left to do. It's always been zero so far, because I'm so motivated to not embarrass myself in front of a fellow therapist, even if it's my own therapist LOL. Accountability works like a charm. Otherwise, I feel no motivation for staying on top of notes...
I used to think that multi-tasking was my super power. The truth was, I was depleting my cognitive abilities, but just didn't realize it because in my 20s and 30s, I could get away with it -- my capacity was tremendous.
But as I've gotten older, it's much harder for me to feel anything but scattered or behind when I jump from task to task.
This post clarifies a way to get more done without distracting yourself. Multi-purposing should be on every leader's productivity must-try list for 2025!
Batching tasks works for me too; my challenge is getting distracted and giving up the batching. I'm getting better though. And I know you're going to ask what distracts me lol! A new challenge usually.
Literally lovely. Thank you for this. It is exactly what I needed to read today. 🧡
So no more multitasking, just doing the things that fuel us? Is that the right takeaway? I'm a little unsure but would love to know more. I'm noticing the multitasking is just ruining my brain and I have no attention span anymore