Many people fancy themselves excellent ‘multitaskers.’ They believe that they are able to do several things at the same time with focus and effectiveness.

Well, studies have actually proven this to be false.

Humans can’t split their concentrate between multiple things without a significant decrease in attention and retention.

However, it seems that we can do 2 different things without much reduction in focus if they are of different ‘mind-body domains.’

In other words, it might not be as detrimental to combine a mind-focus task with a body-focused task.

And this may also be a good way to increase productivity.

For example, here are some fairly simple physical tasks that don’t require much mental concentration:

• Mowing the lawn
• Driving
• Doing dishes
• Folding laundry
• Cleaning the house or garage
• Running/exercise
• Eating or preparing a meal (if you’re by yourself)

If you are doing one of these things and it is fairly low on the mental-energy requirements, you might consider simultaneously doing a more mentally-stimulating task such as:

• Making a phone call (with headphones)
• Listening to an audiobook or podcast
• Prayer/worship
• Doing some creative thinking

I just wrote a few posts about listening to audiobooks while driving. That is a perfect example of combining mental and physical activities.

Recently, I bought a little elliptical exercise machine that fits under my work desk. I can do my work and peddle throughout the day to get exercise without distracting from my work.

These are just some ideas that might help you maximize use of your time.

Let me know if you have any others!