Think you're good at multi-tasking? Think again.
We’ve been trained for many years to believe that multi-tasking is a valuable acquired skill. In some circles, the concept has been raised nearly to the level of something sacred. Those who seem to be able to channel this mystical power are admired to a fault.
Our desire to do more faster has driven us to extremes in the world of mechanical and automated processes. It’s only natural that we look to better ourselves as operators, but new research tells us that we’ve fooled ourselves with the entire concept of multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking was first thought to be a great key to exponentially improved efficiency, but that’s not the case. The human brain is designed for sequential processing. This means that we are meant to complete tasks and then switch to the next one. Multi-tasking pushes the idea that parallel processing—or trying to do several open projects at the same time—leads to improved efficiency. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. Try solving two math problems simultaneously—your brain won’t be able to do it. We are adept at switching back and forth very quickly, but only after a degree of completion is reached within each individual task.
Bestselling author Dave Crenshaw has some amazing insight on the topic.
“Switchtasking is attempting to do multiple attention-requiring tasks at the same time,” explains Crenshaw. “Each switch in attention incurs switching cost, which includes a loss of time, decrease in performance, and an increase in stress levels. When most people say they are ‘multitasking,’ they are most often referring to switchtasking.
“Background tasking is performing a task while something mindless or mundane occurs in the background,” continues Crenshaw. “Examples include: delegating tasks to employees while you work on more valuable activities, putting a machine to work on a large job while you answer email, and exercising while you listen to music. Background tasking can improve productivity overall.
“Multitasking is neither a good thing nor a bad thing…it simply does not exist,” concludes Crenshaw. “The question is, are you background tasking, which may improve productivity, or are you switchtasking, which always harms productivity.”
At the end of the day, juggling tasks not only harms productivity, it can also harm relationships. Increased errors and missed details can cause a divide between you and your team. Productivity drops but we press on, foolishly thinking that we’re performing at our best when we’re isolating ourselves and hurting the ones we rely on most. In Crenshaw’s words, “Multitasking is worse than a lie.”
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