The Daily Plod - Productivity and Business Management for Not for Profits

 

Before you continue reading this blog, I want to state upfront that I personally love AI—especially in how it assists me across both my personal and professional life. However, the question I want to explore is this: How effective is AI in actually making us more efficient? My upfront answer is: it depends on how effective your current systems are. You might think that’s a bit of a cop-out answer—but let’s go deeper. The Multiplier Effect What are the benefits of AI? How does it assist us? Ultimately, AI is a MULTIPLIER, not a FOUNDATION . If your systems are chaotic, unorganised, or shallow, then AI is only going to speed those processes up. It won’t fix them. Systems vs Tools True efficiency is built on systems—not tools. Technology changes. Tools become obsolete. Software breaks. But principles and methods remain timeless. They provide a framework that can be applied across different industries, roles, and situations. If you already have strong systems, methods, and principles in p...

  What is Task Batching? Task batching ("batching") is one of the simplest ways to improve productivity, reduce distractions, and get more done in less time—without working longer hours. I know what you’re thinking, of course it’s more efficient to do similar things together. But most people don’t actually do this. If you track your work tasks, it becomes obvious how rarely people group similar tasks together.  If you’ve read my post on multitasking ( The Multitasking Fallacy ), you’ll remember this: every time you switch tasks, you pay a mental switching cost . Your brain has to: Drop one context Load another Reorient to what matters That process burns both time and cognitive energy.  Task batching reduces that cost. By staying in the same “mode” for longer, you: Maintain focus Reduce friction Get more done in less time Benefits of Batching Think of your brain as a computer. When you engage in a different task, your brain has to ‘reload’ prior context and information. If...

  The Multitasking Fallacy  There should be a warning label every time someone attempts to multitask, especially if you belong to the species that has a Y chromosome.  Why is multitasking a fallacy? Simply, our brain is unable to focus on more than one thing at a time, this is especially true when the task requires cognitive effort. The prefrontal cortex only handles one complex process at a time.  What may feel like multitasking is our brain task switching , not multitasking.  The Hidden Cost of Multitasking  There is a " switch cost " that is paid when you switch focus. When you change focus your brain has to ‘reboot’ to grab all the necessary information relating to a task. The brain has to re-load context, priorities and outcomes.  Research shows that this can lead to significant decreases in efficiency because of this "switch cost".  Why the Warning Label?  Why do I believe there should be a warning label for "multitasking"? Attention Re...