Only a few years ago, multitasking seemed like the only way to get things done. The more we had on our plates, the more it made sense to try to keep every plate spinning at the same time. Now we know multitasking actually slows us down and can reduce our productivity by up to 40%. Our lives aren't getting less busy, though. So what can you do to get work done effectively? Here are five tips to help you improve your focus and turn complicated projects into easy-to-tackle tasks.