Keep a Captain’s Log – Stave off “What Thousand Things Did I Do Today?”

Here is a “What You Can Do About It” post for those of you suffering from compulsive multitask syndrome or entrepreneurial ADD.

Let me begin by saying multitasking is one thing and false multitasking is another. The former means efficiency and the latter means entering a cloud of unfulfilling task-doom. The first kind of multitasking is a valuable skill which basically just requires that a person is flexible. For example, if you’re waiting for a page to load because you have a slow Wi-Fi connection, instead of staring at the screen (staying with the single task), it would behoove you to do something else, like think of something you’re grateful for or take a sip from your cup of herbal tea. Life is filled with such moments, and it is an invaluable skill to be able to make maximum use of these tiny fragments (or huge chunks). This kind of multitasking is minimal, and it is great. To be beneficial, it means you have to consciously direct your attention someplace useful.

Part of our attention is needed to actually direct our attention to a task, and it takes time when switching from one task to another. We have to take time to adjust our focus to the new task, to bookmark out place with the previous task, to understand why we are doing this new task, let alone how to do it and what needs to be done. Figuring all this out takes time and energy, which is why it is often best to focus on a single task for extended periods of time.

This alone I presently do.

Have you ever caught yourself mumbling some strange excessive self-talk like “What do I need to do next?” or “OK, what now?” If so, you would certainly benefit from keeping a daily captain’s log.

Here are the rules of keeping a good and proper captain’s log:

Rule #1: Keep it with you at all times

Rule #2: Write down every action you take that has a goal in mind

Write why you are doing such-and such so that you will know when you reach the end result.

Rule #3: Write down interesting thoughts and observations. As a rule, keep it brief, but not too brief. A life worth living is worth recording.

Rule #4: At the end of the day, reflect on what the best and most important entries were. Circle these activities and thoughts.

Rule # 5: Do this every day and use it to learn how many huge and tiny interesting things you do. Use it to control your focus on the task at hand.

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