Peter Drucker on Multitasking

I am sure you have heard by now that Peter Drucker, often called the father of management, died at 95 last Friday. Drucker was never shy about saying things in a strong and direct manner and I think this is why his messages were heard 'round the world and by managers at all levels. I like that style and admire him for that ability.

Here is a quote about multitasking:

From the Effective Executive, p. 29:

"In every executive job, a large part of the time must therefore be wasted on things which, thought they apparently have to be done, contribute nothing or little. Yet most of the tasks of the executive require, for minimum effectiveness, a fairly large quantum of time. To spend in one stretch less than this minimum is sheer waste. One accomplishes nothing and has to begin all over again… To be effective, every knowledge worker, and especially every executive, therefore needs to be able to dispose of time in fairly large chunks. To have dribs and drabs of time at his disposal will not be sufficient even if the total is an impressive number of hours."

Chunking, yes, I agree.