I read this article last year, and then found it again today. Christopher paints the difference between work that’s “trivial” and work that “moves the needle.” The latter needs, well, here it is in Christopher’s words:

“When I think to the tasks and things in my day that I have to shut down everything else to focus on, they are things that move the needle. Studying analytics in depth. Reading a book on new business strategies. Coaching a team member or talking to a prospective new customer. Writing a blog post for you to read. These are all tasks that demand my focus, my attention, my energy in order for me to generate the results others expect of me and I expect of myself. If I try to “multitask”, quality suffers. Analyses aren’t as robust or are error-prone. Books don’t get comprehended. These are all or nothing tasks where the outcome is important.“

Move the needle work. That’s a good way of saying it. And I agree – multitasking through such times is no good.

Read more: Multitasking is still a lie