Until a few years ago, multi-tasking used to be all the rage. Work at your computer, talk on your desk phone, make a travel booking on your cell phone, signal to a colleague that you’re not yet ready for lunch break… we’ve all done something like this at one point or another. And we’ve all patted ourselves on the back for our ability to ‘multi-task with ease’.
The question is: if we’re such good multi-taskers, why aren’t we more productive? We’re so busy all the time but we never seem to get through our to-do list. Why?
The answer to these questions lie in the questions themselves. We are not productive because we are multi-taskers. We don’t get through our to-do list because we insist on tackling multiple tasks at the same time.
Productivity experts agree that multi-tasking is the key to un-productivity. It distracts us, steals our focus and reduces our output quality. Ultimately, multi-tasking makes us less productive and research proves this: Multi-tasking individuals lose up to 40% of their productivity due to the time it takes to switch back and forth between different tasks. Further, these individual costs translate to annual organisational costs to the tune of $450 billion in terms of lost productivity.
What is the real cost of your document drafting software?
Even when you think we’re focusing on one thing at a time, technology can get in the way. For example, your document-drafting applications force you to switch screens and tasks, a problem that introduces friction and pulls you off-task.
The process of document drafting involves a number of steps that force you to multi-task: start a new document, mine the document library for information, proofread your document and sometimes even go back and forth on this entire process if a collaborator is involved (say, if you are co-authoring a paper). All these steps usually involve multiple screens, which means you also need to change mental gears multiple times. This introduces delays into your cognitive thinking process, which then delays your execution time.
Another problem is that existing technology also forces you to switch between doing your document process and thinking about it. When you have to keep an eye on both, performing a task and thinking about the best way to do it (or the next steps required), your mind is forced to switch quickly – something that it struggles do. When this happens, you interrupt your workflow, and introduce delays and errors into your output.
Fortunately, there is a better approach to traditional document-drafting technology.
Litera Microsystems: Solutions to Simplify Your Document Drafting Workflow
Litera Microsystems specialises in world-class document management solutions specifically designed for legal firms. These applications eliminate the need for task-switching and also simplify the entire workflow. One integrated ribbon within Microsoft Word includes all document-drafting tasks required in a legal workflow. Users can simple work from left to right without disrupting their thought process or wasting time thinking about next steps. This enables users to complete their work without getting distracted or being drawn off-task.
Result?
Better focus, increased productivity, better quality.
