OK, go slow

Start by getting over the irony: Starbucks is telling its baristas to slow down. The folks whose coffee amps up the world every morning (and much of the rest of the day, for that matter) is telling its employees to put on the brakes.

A recent Wall Street Journal article says  the Seattle-based coffee seller has told its ever-friendly baristas to quit pouring up multiple cups and focus on brewing no more than two drinks at a time.

Employees  reportedly are stressing out over the go-slower order. They're worried longer lines will frustrate customers. And since they're on the front line of consumer coffee sales, they'll get an earful while they pour a cupful. 

But the Starbucks brass are concerned about quality control. They hear the gripes when orders aren't filled properly or when tepid lattes underwhelm. So, they're operating on the theory that overall satisfaction will improve when the baristas have time to pay attention to each customer. 

Nope to multitasking

I don't know if Starbucs consulted Douglas Merrill, but he surely would back the bosses. Merrill is the former chief information officer at Google, and he earned a doctorate in psychology and cognitive sciences. He's a brain expert.

Merrill told the Los Angeles Times multitasking doesn't work. "Multitasking usually makes you less efficient," he said. "The brain is especially inept at memorizing bits of information."

This is disappointing news. But it's not exactly surprising. I like to think I can multitask, and so I often work on email while I'm on conference calls. And I can't tell you how many times I realize I've zoned out on the calls, especially when a crucial email crops up. 

This also is why my wife, Joanna, has been on me about talking on the phone while driving. I usually try to reserve bi-tasking when I'm on not-too-busy country highways with a list of calls to make. But I probably should cut it out altogether.

Slow is better

Starbucks started out encouraging baristas to fix as many drinks as they could (not literally) juggle. And it turns out that wasn't such a good idea. Go slow is better.

And that's probably a pretty good life lesson. How often do folks mess up parenting, marriage or friendships because we try to focus on too many things at one time. It's bad enough when you forget where you were reading in an email because you were listening to a client on the phone. But the damage can be much longer-lasting when you get in the "Uh-huh" mode and zone out on your child or your spouse. For one example. You can think of others.

We also do this with God, of course. How often are your prayers interrupted because you're thinking about work? OK, maybe that's just me, but I doubt I'm alone.

Life is fast. But maybe we'd be better at it if we figured out how to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.