One of the side-effects of multitasking, is that we end up with too
many tasks. We take on more than we can deliver to a high standard.
Instead we skim across the top of each activity doing the 80% in 20% of
the time, and ignoring the rest. This is great for feeling important
because we're in so much demand.

For
many activities, just enough is good enough. The problem comes when we
apply this 80% universally to all activities. We become blind to what
excellence really means. To the value in putting in the extra effort to
get something that is perfect. In short, we get accustomed to not
meeting our own standards, and numb to how that feels. But over time,
ignoring the feeling that we could do better eats away at our
motivation. It erodes our capacity to deliver 100%. If you can't
remember what it's like to focus on one task until it's perfect, then
how do you recognize perfection?

That's why it's important to
resist the sugar-rush of multitasking. Don't apply Pareto's Law to
every activity – be selective. Some tasks do not warrant the full force
of your manifest abilities. But others will move the needle and create
a 'wow' moment if you exceed expectations. Don't shortchange these
opportunities, just to check them off the list. In fact, ignore five
others so you can do this one thing well. If not for your team or your
client, do it for yourself.