Zack - Singletasking get more done-one thing at a time

Zacks system is thoughtful, simple, and practical, so its no surprise that it works.

Richard J. McAlonan, Executive Director, Ernst & Young LLP

Zack makes a compelling case for the merits of living a singletasked life.

Rachel Lam, Senior Vice President and Group Managing Director Time Warner Investments

Multitasking is madnessyou wouldnt want to be operated on by a surgeon who was checking her email every five minutes, would you? Devora offers simple, straightforward advice for getting far more done than you ever would hopping around like a frog on a hot skillet.

Deborah S. Cohn, former Trademarks Commissioner United States Patent and Trademark Office

In our hyperconnected world where we fear missing out on anything, Zack delivers a message we need to hearthe key to personal and organizational success is focusing on what matters most.

Patrick Fitzgerald, Vice President, SiriusXM Radio

Zack provides the artillery to slay the multitasking monster, creating wholeness, happiness, and peak performance.

Amy Lemon, Program Manager, Smithsonian Institution

Zack gives us a much-needed wake-up call about the dangers of a distracted mind.

Jeff Weirens, M&A Consulting Leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP

A great read while youre catching up on email, finishing that proposal, and preparing performance feedback for your staff Zack connects with her readers in a light, funny style that makes this book a delightful read.

Mike Brennan, retired intelligence executive, National Reconnaissance Office

This book could save your life. Multitasking has become a fatal distraction that can ruin your health, your relationships, and your work. But now theres a cure: singletasking. Read this intensely engaging, laugh-out-loud funny, and down-to-earth practical book nowyoull be glad you did, and so will those you live and work with.

Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Deans Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

Dont be seduced by the false promise of multitasking! Instead, be seduced by the insight and humor of Devora Zack, who shows you how to really make your mind work at peak efficiency.

Shai Novik, President, OPKO Biologics

Multitasking is like trying to look in two directions at once: it seems like itd be cool, but it cant be done and makes your head hurt trying. Devora Zack helps you accomplish more than you ever thought possible using tips and techniques that genuinely work!

David Meisegeier, Vice President, ICF International

I used to multitask constantly, thinking it was the only way to get through my day. After reading this book, Im a convert.

Hiro Yamaguchi, General Manager of Corporate Strategy, TEPCO, Japan

Zack dispels our basic assumptions that multitasking is a sine qua non to achievement and proves in a most informative and entertaining manner that focused singletasking is the true path to achieving our goals.

Howard Wiener, Partner, KPMG LLP

Management myth buster Devora Zacks new target is the fabled beast known as multitasking. While a one-man band may entertain and amuse, Zacks new book repeatedly proves that the dedicated, single-task-focused individual achieves quantifiable results time and time again.

Dave Summers, Director of Digital Media Production, New Media Stage Management, American Management Association

When confronted with multiple tasks that must be completed expeditiously, its easy to fall into the trap of believing that they all can be tackled simultaneously. Zack demonstrates (with evidence) why weve had it all wrong.

Ann-Marie Luciano, Partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

As a customer of Devoras services at two Fortune 500 companies, I can attest that her methods produce tangible results. Singletasking identifies opportunities for improvement and targets the right actions to bring out the best in people and organizations.

Jeff Martin, former human resources executive, CSC and America Online

I always suspected that those who prided themselves on being able to do a lot of things simultaneously werent necessarily superior; this book proves it.

P. J. Kuyper, President and CEO, Motion Picture Licensing Corporation

I thought I was supposed to pride myself on being able to do a lot of things simultaneouslybut Im too exhausted! Thanks to Devora Zack for showing us a better way.

Peter Borden, Vice President, Client Services, SapientNitro

SINGLETASKING

Other books by Devora Zack:

Managing for People Who Hate Managing:

Be a Success by Being Yourself

Networking for People Who Hate Networking:

A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhemed,

and the Underconnected

Get More DoneOne Thing at a Time

DEVORA ZACK

Singletasking

Copyright 2015 by Devora Zack

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions

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Individual sales. Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.com

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Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: Ordering for details about electronic ordering.

Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

First Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-261-5

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-262-2

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-263-9

2015-1

Text design and composition: Seventeenth Street Studios

Cover design: Dan Tesser/Studio Carnelian

Copyeditor: Todd Manza

Proofreader: Laurie Dunne

Indexer: Richard Evans

To my dearest reader:

You are hereby released from
the temptation to overachieve.

Your friend:
Devora Zack

P.S. Youre welcome.