The Great Multitasking Myth!

Multitasking is overrated, inefficient and unproductive!  

Bold statement, some say. Utter non-sense say others. Absolutely say many.  

In business, the fallacy of multitasking has grown in the past few decades and in some offices, has become a necessary part of the employment criteria. The ability to speak on the phone to one person, while writing an email to another and from time to time casting an anxious eye at your inbox to see what other demands are being placed on your finite time resource, is one of the most prized qualities bosses look for. And the pace of multitasking demand seems to be increasing at an alarming rate as technology drives us forward in this age information excess.  

Multitasking would appear at face value to be an incredible advantage for business. Getting so much more done in the time you have available? Surely that must be a good thing? We are after all told that, as the human race, we have been multitasking since the dawn of time.   

So is multitasking a reality or a myth? Are we in business able to multi-task?  

Research conducted by Stanford University show that multitasking destroys your performance and may, under certain conditions, damage your brain. It showed multitaskers are less productive less able to recall information, less able to pay attention and less able to switch from one job to another than people who complete one job at a time.   

The reason? Your brain is designed to focus on one thing at a time making multitasking in a business context a bad thing. It makes you less productive and can cost your business millions!  

What we call multitasking, should be called task switching, which our brains are designed to cope with, albeit at a cost. When switching from one task to another we use energy, oxygenated glucose, which could otherwise be used to focus on doing one thing well, instead of doing 2 things badly.   

Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Gloria Mark, found that, while 82% of interrupted work was resumed on the same day, it takes on average 23 minutes to get back to the task!   

The obvious example of multitasking being a myth is driving while using a mobile phone. It is now illegal to use your phone without a hand's free kit while you are driving in most countries of the world and for good reason. And then there are the those who think they can text, drive and be safe! Seriously?  

Statistics in the US show that 1 in every 4 road traffic accidents are caused by texting while driving. These same stats suggest that you are 6 times more likely to have an accident while texting than you are while driving drunk! And the stats for the UK are not much better. So much so, that the UK government recently increased the penalties for this crime.  

The research shows your brain is rapidly trying to switch between the 2 tasks and doing neither well. While it is switching, it is using extra energy, which on a long drive adds to exhaustion further reducing cognitive ability.   

There are obviously some tasks which can be done simultaneously while driving. Most people, with a bit of practice, can focus on the road ahead and change gears in a manual shift vehicle or release the clutch, press the accelerator and maneuver the steering wheel to turn at a junction, for example. And the same is true in the office. With a bit of practice, most people can use the photocopier while having an arbitrary chat on the phone with a colleague or friend. These are what could be called automatic behaviours.   

In a research paper, University of Minnesota professor Sophie Leroy writes, 'People need to stop thinking about one task in order to fully transition their attention and perform well on another. Yet, results indicate it is difficult for people to transition their attention away from an unfinished task, and their subsequent task performance suffers.'   

So if you want to be effective, efficient and highly productive, what should you do?  

• Focus on one task until it is completed or as completed as is possible with the data or information you have available. There are simple techniques you can use to help you re-develop this skill. And if your boss suggests otherwise, then according to Georgetown professor and author Cal Newport, it may be time to look for another job.  
• Nail the one big task every day first.  
• Set aside time every half hour or so to allow your mind to relax and focus elsewhere for a short period of time. A 5-minute break ever 30 minutes will have an amazing effect on your productivity.  

Being productive does not require multitasking. It requires focused, concentrated and uninterrupted time.   

Multitasking is overrated, inefficient and unproductive!  

If you want to know more about how I can help you grow your business, please email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.