Overcome the lie that multitasking increases productivity.

When you try to do two things at once, you will do a poorer job on both than if you were to tackle each task individually, as you are splitting your focus. You will end up losing time as you switch back and forth from each activity. Therefore, focus on each task you have individually.

1. Ask your friend to prepare a few sentences about content related to his or her hobby.

2. Sit in front of the email inbox, start the stopwatch and start reading the average length of the email, and let the other person talk at the same time.

3. When both activities are completed, stop the timer.

4. Now paraphrase what the other person was saying and ask them for feedback. Think about how much you remember from the email.

5. Now turn the time on and let someone talk first, then read the email.