It’s in our very nature, isn’t it? The drive to do more, to achieve everything, all at once. We’re wired to chase many rabbits, often without realizing that this approach doesn’t help us catch any. Think about it. How many times have you found yourself with a desktop cluttered with open tabs, each one demanding your attention? Or maybe you’ve started multiple TV series, hopping from one to another, never quite finishing any of them.
This scattershot approach might feel like progress, but the result is quite obvious: things get overlooked. Details, those crucial little nuances, slip through the cracks. And here’s the kicker: multitasking is a myth. It’s not a superpower; it’s a stumbling block.
If you’re reading this because you want to take on multiple tasks at once in order to increase productivity and efficiency, you may just have to change the way you think of multitasking first.
Multitasking is not the best way to manage a busy workload. It can actually result in lower productivity and lower quality work.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by tasks or have a lot on your plate, it’s important to understand why multitasking isn’t the solution and what you should do instead.
In this article, we’ll look at common misconceptions about multitasking and explore why focusing on one thing at a time isn’t a limitation, but a path to real achievement and satisfaction.
Table of Contents
What Is Multitasking, Really?
Many people believe that multitasking means being able to do multiple tasks at the same time, such as talking on the phone while typing an email or listening to music while working on a report. This, however, is a widely held misconception.
In reality, multitasking refers to the process of switching between tasks quickly in order to complete them all in a shorter amount of time.[1]
Neuropsychologist Cynthia Kubu, PhD says:[2]
“When we think we’re multitasking, most often we aren’t really doing two things at once. But instead, we’re doing individual actions in rapid succession, or task-switching,”
For example, someone may be attempting to complete a report while also responding to emails and attending a virtual meeting. In this case, they may quickly switch between these tasks, working on one for a few minutes, then switching to the next, then back to the first, and so on.
Why Multitasking Doesn’t Work
When you switch from one task to another, your brain must refocus each time, which can consume valuable mental energy and time. This can lead to lower quality work and a longer completion time.
Here’s why multitasking doesn’t make you more productive:
Extra Time and Energy Costs
According to studies, multitasking lengthens the time it takes to complete a task. Rapidly switching between tasks can result in “task-switching costs.”[3]
The “task-switching cost” is the time and cognitive effort required for our brains to switch from one task to another. We incur a cost in terms of time and effort when we multitask and switch between tasks, which can add up and significantly reduce productivity.
Think about receiving an email notification while you are working on a report, for instance. You interrupt your work to check your email, which takes about a minute. It takes another minute to refocus and get back into the flow of writing when you return to the report. This extra time is the cost of task switching. If you switch between the report and the email several times, the cost can quickly add up, reducing overall productivity and lengthening the time it takes to complete both tasks.
Lowered Work Quality
Multitasking has been shown to have a significant impact on work quality and overall performance.
When we try to juggle multiple tasks at once, we divide our attention. Every time we switch tasks, our brains have to refocus. This can lead to a lack of concentration, which can result in errors and mistakes. Also, when we try to multitask, we may not give each task our full attention, causing poorer work overall.
A classic example is attempting to complete additional tasks during a driving simulation. This can result in poorer driving performance[4] and an increased risk of being involved in a car accident.[5]
Multitasking can also result in increased stress, which can impair performance. When we try to do too many things at once, we can become overwhelmed and stressed, inhibiting our ability to think clearly and make decisions.
Reduced Cognitive Function
Divided attention is one of the primary ways that multitasking affects cognitive function. When we try to focus on multiple tasks at once, our brains must constantly switch between them. This rapid switching can result in mental overload, making it difficult to process information effectively and efficiently.
Multitasking can make it difficult to filter out irrelevant information. We are bombarded with information from various sources when we work on multiple tasks at the same time. Our brains must sort through this data to determine what is relevant to each task, which can be mentally demanding and result in mistakes.[6]
Multitasking has also been shown to affect our ability to remember important details. When we switch from one task to another, our brains must remember where we left off in the previous task and what we must do next in the new task. This can cause us to overlook important details in one or both tasks.[7]
What To Do Instead of Multitasking To Be Productive
Instead of multitasking, there are several productivity strategies you can use when you have a lot on your plate:
1. Prioritize
Instead of trying to multitask, prioritize your tasks and focus on one at a time. This will help you stay focused and cut down on task switching costs.
You can use LifeHack’s Superstructure Method to effectively prioritize.
We begin by defining our goal. Following that, we group the obligations and opportunities into three categories:
- Must-haves – Absolutely critical to achieving the objective. Without it, the result we want is meaningless.
- Should-haves – Important but not critical. However, leaving it out may lessen the quality of the final result.
- Good-to-haves – Having it is nice, but not including it won’t have any negative impact on our objective.
Let’s say that you are a manager who is responsible for a team of employees. Here’s an example of how you could prioritize your tasks:
Must-haves:
- Ensure that all employees are meeting their performance goals.
- Give employees support and direction as needed.
Should-haves:
- Perform regular performance evaluations and provide feedback.
- Create and put into action strategies to boost employee engagement and productivity.
Good-to-haves:
- Attend industry conferences or networking events to keep up with best practices.
- Provide employees with opportunities for training or professional development.
Prioritizing your tasks in this way allows you to focus on the most important aspects of your role as a manager, which is ensuring that your team meets their performance targets.
Then you can proceed to the must-haves in order to improve the quality of your work and provide support and guidance to your team.
Finally, if time and resources allow, you can work on the good-to-haves to improve your own skills and give your team more opportunities.
To learn more about how to prioritize when everything seems important, take a look at my article The Ultimate Guide to Prioritizing Your Work And Life.
2. Focus on ONE Task at a Time
Focusing on one task at a time is another effective way to manage a busy workload. This method is referred to as “single-tasking” or “monotasking.”
One task at a time allows you to give it your full attention and finish it more quickly and effectively. Monotasking can also help to reduce stress and boost overall performance.
To make monotasking a habit, you must retrain your brain. Mindfulness practice is one way to strengthen your focus muscle. Mindfulness meditation involves training your mind to focus on the present moment and can help you concentrate better. You can begin with brief sessions of 5 to 10 minutes and gradually extend your practice time.
For more advice on how to sharpen your focus, check out How to Focus & Stay Sharp (A Comprehensive Guide).
3. Delegate
Delegation is a strategy that can be extremely effective in increasing productivity, especially when you have a lot to handle at once.
By delegating tasks to others who are better suited for them, you can focus on tasks that require your unique skills and expertise while also leveraging your team’s skills and strengths. As tasks are completed more quickly and with higher quality, this can help to increase overall productivity and efficiency.
To effectively delegate tasks, it is necessary to first identify which tasks can be delegated. Tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive, or outside of your area of expertise may fall into this category.
You must also choose the right person for the job. Take into account the individual’s skills, experience, and workload, and make sure to communicate the task and expectations clearly.
To ensure that the task is completed correctly and efficiently, you should provide clear instructions and expectations. Outlining the scope of the task, deadlines, and any specific requirements or guidelines are all examples of this.
Make sure the person is on track and completing the task to your satisfaction by offering support and feedback while they are working on it. This can help to improve the final result’s quality.
If you want to learn how to delegate tasks effectively, read my step-by-step guide How to Start Delegating Tasks Effectively.
Conclusion
Multitasking is not an effective strategy for increasing productivity and can even be counterproductive. Switching between tasks can increase the amount of time and mental effort required to complete them, as well as impair cognitive function, resulting in lower work quality and performance.
Instead of multitasking, prioritize tasks by importance, focus on one task at a time, and delegate tasks whenever possible to free up time and mental energy. You can boost your productivity and achieve your goals more efficiently and effectively by implementing these strategies.
Featured photo credit: Javier Quesada via unsplash.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | Experimental Economics: Multitasking |
| [2] | ^ | Cleveland Clinic: Why Multitasking Doesn’t Work |
| [3] | ^ | American Psychological Association: Multitasking: Switching costs |
| [4] | ^ | Frontier Psychology: Driving and Multitasking: The Good, the Bad, and the Dangerous |
| [5] | ^ | US Department of Transportation: The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study: Phase II – Results of the 100-Car Field Experiment |
| [6] | ^ | Cerebrum.: Multicosts of Multitasking |
| [7] | ^ | Nature: Memory failure predicted by attention lapsing and media multitasking |
