One of my New Year’s Resolutions a few years back was to ONLY single-task, and it is HARD!
I think my quality of medicine has gone up, and I know my overall enjoyment of life has gone up.
It is still a struggle, but I try to completely finish one case before I move on to the next – not possible if I have multiple sickies to care for (though I can still work on completing one task or block of tasks before moving to the next), but it IS possible (but difficult) if I have one complex medical or surgical case and then another right afterwards.
The upsides are that the pet who needs me most has my complete attention while they need it and receives better care, and once I have finished a case, it is done, and I can relax or focus on the next pet.
Also, I do not need to stay into the wee hours finishing medical notes and trying to remember what I forgot, because I completed everything for each individual pet before he or she was discharged.
Next: More thoughts on single tasking...