How to Be Present, with Dave Crenshaw

Dave Crenshaw: The Myth of Multitasking

Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done*.

In this conversation, Dave and I discuss why multitasking is a myth and how switchtasking stops us from being efficient. We highlight a few key indicators that will help you determine if you’re switchtasking more that you imagine. Finally, we detail three practical steps you can take to be more present for yourself and others.

Key Points

40% of knowledge workers never get more than thirty minutes straight of focused time.
True multi-tasking is a myth. Most people are switchtasking — and losing time when they do it.
An indicator that you might not be present with others is if they linger when conversations are complete.
Determining when you will give people your full attention will help both of you be more efficient during (and outside) those conversations.
Tracking your weekly timeline will help you make better decisions about where to be most present.
Your calendar is your best time management app.