The invention of the ‘tab’ in Firefox (later to be copied by every other browser, though didn’t Opera have it first…?) was hailed as a great improvement in internet browsers.
I see it as one of the bains of any internet marketer’s existence.
Let me give you a little hint when it comes to your personal effectiveness:
Open only one tab — make small exceptions for a second. Never open a third.
You are not doing more when you have 45 tabs open simultaneously. You’re actually doing less and only thinking that something more is being accomplished. Sure, there can be exceptions where you’re referencing something else, but as I’ve evaluated my own browsing/working habits I’ve discovered that’s rarely the case.
Multi-tasking (or in this case, multi-tabbing) is a time-waster. It’s distracting. Consider this:
As people divide their attention between two even seemingly simple tasks—reading their e-mail, for instance, while talking on the phone—comprehension, concentration and short-term memory suffer. Switching from one job to another doesn’t work any better. Research indicates that that eats up more time than waiting to finish one job before beginning the next—an inefficiency that increases as the tasks at hand become more complicated.
You may only have one browser window open at a time, but if it’s littered with tabs you were using two weeks ago, it’s time to clean up and get focused. You’ll find you accomplish more as you focus on one task at a time. Take a look at your to-do list and execute with laser-like focus.
1 comments On Improving Your Personal Effectiveness – Stop Multi-tabbing
Have you ever considered creating an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.