Close Those Tabs! Why Multitasking Is The Death Of Genuine Productivity

I didn’t grow up with smartphones, but if you’re a younger attorney, you likely did. And I remember that the more intensely involved small, hand-held computers became in our lives, the more it seemed we’d be able to get done.

This tiny block of metal, plastic, and wiring had more CPU power than the computer that used to sit on my dad’s desk in the mid-90s. It could track your loved one’s location, eventually made maps obsolete, put social media in our pockets, and gave us access to a universe’s worth of information at a glance.

Great! So, did we all get more productive, smarter, and better at our jobs? Perhaps not.

In fact, over the years, studies have shown that having so much capacity to get more things done has made us less effective, slower, and less satisfied with the work that does get completed. So what went wrong, and what’s the antidote?

Fact One : Multitasking Is A Myth

Let’s clear up one misconception. We can not truly multitask. Our brains are simply not designed for it. “But aren’t our brains simply squishy computers?”, you ask. “And if a computer can multitask, why can’t we?”

Here’s the catch. Respected neurologist Richard Cytowic has noted that, in spite of what many believe, a computer is not technically multitasking, either. It’s simply divvying up microseconds of time to each task, but doing so at speeds and with an efficiency that seems almost magical.

Your brain, for all of its complexity and brilliance, is simply not capable of the impossible, nor is a supercomputer. Our minds can focus well and carefully on one thing at a time. And we are meant to approach tasks with care and precision, not rapidly.

Still, our access to rapid-fire technology can give us the impression that we’re able to get five (or more) things completed at once. After all, if the technology is there, doesn’t that imply it can be used for this purpose?

Far from it. In fact, the neurological results of multitasking are typically far less helpful than many lawyers realize.

Fact Two : Attempting To Multitask Hurts You

So when you try to handle multiple things at once, what actually happens? You’ve likely noticed that while multiple things may get done, they generally don’t get done well. I’ve often noticed that the work I sent off in a relative rush, while working on two other things, had to be tweaked or edited afterward. Yes, I hit “Send”, but there were errors I didn’t catch.

When your mind is pulled in too many directions, by too many unlike activities, your brain’s actual computing power slows down. Your nervous system is stressed, but it’s a stress you can get used to over time when you’re handling too many tasks at once.

This stress can feel normal, even weirdly invigorating, but it’s eating away at actual accuracy, care, and your capacity to pay attention to details. The end results are not only mistakes in emails or briefs, but increased tiredness, an inability to relax once at home, poor sleep, and even emotional reactivity.

When your brain is over-taxed, every body system suffers. And when you have too many tabs open, every part of your work, life, and mental landscape begins to peel, break, and fracture. They might be hairline fractures at first, but the long-term professional and personal damage can be devastating over time. Before too long, you’re risking zoning out on client documents, finding yourself confused in court, and even losing business, all because you tried to do too much.

Fact Three : Precision Has Real Benefits 

Here’s a better way to stay organized: hone in. Do one thing at once, and do it well. After all, this kind of thoughtful, intense, single-minded work is precisely what you went to law school for.

Your client is charged with murder. How can you defend his innocence and even seek out evidence that it wasn’t him? This takes extraordinary focus, not trying to sift through discovery while you glance at a separate motion you’re drafting.

Maybe your client is a dad trying to gain custody of his kids, and his wife just submitted an audio recording of him screaming at her. There’s context here, but you won’t be able to see it clearly if you’re responding to emails while glancing at notes from his therapist.

Slow down. You can do this. You can help your clients, win the case, and turn the rest of their lives around for the better, but you can’t accomplish this if your mind is pulled in too many directions.

Put the phone down. Close the extra open tabs. Stay organized, stay single-minded, and you’ll be infinitely more helpful to the men and women relying on you daily.

Fact Four : Support Permits Mental Clarity

Now here’s the point where it begins to come together. You can not get truly organized when you’re handling everything alone. Billing, checking emails, client intake, drafting motions, organizing evidence… It’s a lot. In fact, it’s too much.

This is why DocketWorks has dedicated our company to helping connect you with bright, capable, efficient fellow attorneys who can hone in just as well as you do, but on the lesser, “satellite tasks” that eat into your day and distract you.

Those tasks are important, but they’re not preparing for trial, taking notes during a client interview, or figuring out how to help a jury see the flaws in the opposition’s witness statements. This kind of support allows you to stay organized, quit multitasking, and zero in on the core of your legal work.

Your mind is able to slow down, power up, and truly get to work. The single assignment in front of you feels manageable, you’re less distracted, less tired, and your eyes can finally focus.

Close Those Tabs, Get Organized, Change Your Life

Ready to close those extra tabs? And stop trying to do something your brain was never meant to handle? Good. We’re ready to help.

You were never meant to multitask, but you were meant to use your education, training, intuition, experience, and skills to help defend and speak for clients. So let’s help you get back to that work, organize your week, and supply the support to make a genuine difference.