Multi-Tasking Good or Bad?

Internet is full of data and analysis that seems concluding “Multi-tasking impacts productivity". Although difficult to say what is right, I would like to share some data before moving ahead.

Bernice Eiduson, a young psychologist, did a long research for two decades, analyzing the work done by 100 scientists on their productive scientific career. The most productive scientists, over their first 100 papers the published, covered five different research areas, and moved on from one topic to another with an average of 43 times.

 Another one, Charles Darwin, spin across multiple plates. He began his first book "Transmutation of species", started two decades before the "Origin of Species" was published. His "Biographical Sketch of an Infant" practically started when his son was born and completed when he was 37 years. Some papers he concluded in 44 years. There were overlapping interests and multi-tasking that continued for long time.

 So, if those scientists are doing something, multi-tasking does not impact their productivity.

 Multi-tasking is also very tightly coupled with task switching. You would have been into a situation where you are working on a very important presentation, fielding important phone calls and simultaneously keeping an eye on the emails to track some important information related to the subject. Is this considered as multi-tasking? Maybe it can be better described as rapid task switching.

 People have a better recollection of uncompleted tasks. Our subconscious mind keeps reminding us that the task needs to be completed. When you have multiple responsibilities, you indulge into rapid task switching as mind consciously keeps on reminding of the unfinished tasks.

Hidden challenge behind multi-tasking not performing at its best is the "Changing Focus".

Multi-tasking was introduced with the onset of computers. Computers do a better job at creating illusion of task switching to be multi-tasking, but unlike a human mind, a computer does not take 25 mins to go back to the original task.

Moreover, a computer does not worry about the unfinished tasks.

Book by David Allen "Getting things done" is a productivity cult. He emphasizes on the focus of closing all the loops that we leave open as we keep on adding tasks to our plate without finishing.

Whatever we are doing, our mind loses its focus and keeps shifting toward something else. It is all these overlapping possibilities that impact the quality of work. And our modern-day life invites more and more such open loops. 

Now, in order to close these loops - Pen Down the actions to be done and review the list time and again so that you won’t miss anything - this a key ingredient towards "Task Management". Thus, your subconscious mind is at rest and will not boggle you continually of an unfinished task.

What we need is "Multi-Tasking" by better "Task Management" and managing "Multi Focus"

Will soon be sharing "Getting better at Task Management"