MULTITASKING
IS A

Myth!

MULTITASKING IS A

Myth!

Driving and listening to the radio (or talking on the phone!). Checking email and voicemail at the same time. Cooking dinner and mediating the kids’ argument.

We multitask all the time.

In this crazy busy world, there’s so much to do and not nearly enough time to do it. We try to do multiple things at once, believing that we’ll be more productive.

How’s that working? Probably not all that well.

Research shows that when we multitask, we don’t actually focus on multiple things at once. Rather, we shift our focus from one thing to another very quickly. Multitasking is actually “switch-tasking.” This micro-shift in focus can take even just 1/10 of a second, so fast that we don’t even know we’re doing it. However, the cost is steep. It takes precious time to reengage in the original activity each time our focus shifts away. While we think we’re being more productive, we’re actually slowing ourselves down due to distractions and the time it takes to reengage in each individual activity. Productivity can be reduced by as much as 40% due to multitasking.

The brain requires tremendous energy resources to do its jobs; the constant shift in attention saps these resources, requiring the intake of more energy in the form of additional calories, i.e. overeating. Ever wonder why you feel ravenous, even if you’ve just sat at a computer all day? Multitasking may be to blame.

This fatiguing of the brain and body can lead to mistakes and cognitive “dysfunction,” which I call brain fog, just as the lack of sleep can.

To be more productive, and get the job done quickly and correctly,
focus on one task at a time.

  • Try setting a timer while doing a complex activity, one that requires intense focus and cognitive resources. See if you can’t do it better, faster, and with less energy without any micro-interruptions.
  •  If your mind wanders, use the timer to return to the task at hand. Use a “trigger” – something you see or touch to remind you to come back to focus.
  •  If you work in an office surrounded by other people (external human interruptions), close your door if you have one. If you don’t, try putting up a funny sign, like, “Genius at work.”
  • Try my favorite way to focus: ear plugs. Sometimes drowning out external noise helps to calm the brain and drown out internal (mental) noise as well.

author

Gayle M. Gruenberg

Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD® is the Chief Executive Organizer of Let’s Get Organized, LLC, an award-winning professional organizing firm based in Bergen County, New Jersey. Gayle is the creator of the Make Space for Blessings™ system. LGO works with busy families to help them find more time, space, money, and energy and connect their lives to their core values through being organized.