The Multitasking Illusion: Why Doing Less Makes You Get More Done?
The Multitasking Illusion: Why Doing Less Makes You Get More Done?
The concept of multitasking is one of the most popular in the modern world of productivity. It’s often seen as an essential skill for success in a fast-paced, demanding environment. In our relentless race to get more done in less time, the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once has become a badge of honor. But what if this idea is a myth? What if our quest to do everything at once is actually holding us back from achieving more?
Why multitasking is not optimal for productivity
Multitasking might seem efficient. However, research consistently demonstrates that working on one thing at a time is superior to multitasking.
Here’s why working on one thing at a time is often superior:
- There are no switching costs.
When you switch between tasks, it takes time for your brain to adjust to the new task, and you’re more likely to make errors. It’s a lose-lose situation.
- You don’t have impaired focus.
Frequent multitasking can make it more difficult to focus and maintain attention, even if you’re not actively multitasking.
- Higher quality work
If you’re focused on one task at a time, it allows you to pay more attention to detail, hence increasing the quality of your work.
How Multitasking Hampers Productivity?
1. Deterioration in the quality of work
When the mind switches from one task to another, it doesn’t give either task its full attention, leading to more errors.
2. Lack of deep concentration
Tasks that require deep thinking and creativity become difficult to complete when constantly switching, because the mind needs time to immerse itself in the problem.
3. Increased time taken to complete the task
Whenever you switch from one task to another, your brain needs time to “reboot” and adjust to the new task. This brief period of loss of focus adds up and consumes significant additional time.
4. Illusion of progress
A multitasker may feel they are accomplishing a lot, but in reality, they are progressing very slowly on each task, delaying completion.
5. Cognitive energy depletion
Constantly switching between tasks consumes more mental energy than focusing on a single task, leading to fatigue and mental exhaustion more quickly.
6. Increased stress hormones
Multitasking raises cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in the body, affecting mental and physical health.
7. Working memory
When multitasking, working memory becomes overloaded with information, reducing its ability to store and retrieve information efficiently.
8. Difficulty absorbing information
The distraction resulting from rapid switching makes it difficult for the brain to process new information and consolidate it into long-term memory.
Break the Multitasking Habit
If you feel like multitasking is negatively impacting your life, it is possible to make some changes that will increase your productivity and efficiency. Next time you find yourself multitasking, take a quick assessment of the various things you are trying to accomplish. Then, determine which task you need to focus on first. Try to:
- Limit the number of things you juggle at any given time to just one task. If you do need to work on multiple things at once, try to combine something automatic, like folding laundry, with something that requires more focus, like having a conversation.
- Use the “20-minute rule.” Instead of constantly switching between tasks, try to fully devote your attention to one task for 20 minutes before switching to the other.
- Batch your tasks. If you’re having trouble resisting the urge to check your email or engage in another distracting task, schedule a set time in your day to tackle it. By batching similar tasks together and setting a time to handle them, you can free your mind up to focus on something else.
- Limit distractions. This may mean seeking out a quieter place to work, switching your phone off, and turning off notifications and alarms.
- Practice mindfulness. Adding mindfulness to your daily routine may help you notice the times when you’re multitasking. Mindfulness can also improve your ability to focus and pay attention to one thing at a time.
How can single-tasking change your life?
- Seeing things through
Multitasking is misleading in many ways. While it appears promising, in reality, multitasking frequently stifles productivity by serving as a convenient way to put a challenging task aside and move on to the next. By switching between tasks when they become too challenging or boring, how many of us fail to see a challenging task through to completion? By defaulting to single-tasking, we are more likely to accomplish pesky tasks before moving on to others. Take on one task at a time and work until you have completed it or completed as much as you can.
- Experiencing the moment
With so many distractions around us, it’s rare for us to fully concentrate on one task at hand. Today’s technology-driven society makes it hard for us to do so. In the world we live in, we are always in reach and we are expected to be available to others, whether colleagues or friends. We are bound to accomplish more when we switch off from distractions and give single-tasking our full attention from start to finish.
- Prioritizing rest and replenishment
Whenever we have a lot of energy and everything is going well, we multitask without even realizing it. As illness strikes or when our energy levels are low, we must change our default setting and consciously let ourselves do only one thing at a time, and sometimes even nothing at all. Learn the value of slowing down. Be kind to yourself by doing one thing at a time (or nothing at all). Give yourself time and space to rest and replenish.
- Organizing and prioritizing with ease
We are hard-wired to believe that the more we accomplish each day, the more it determines if that day is good or bad. Questioning this leads us to realise how false this way of thinking is. There are very few tasks that require immediate attention, and our happiness and emotional health are more important than the completion of multiple yet possibly insignificant items. Let yourself have time and space to finish the most important task instead of rushing through many small, unimportant ones. The rest can wait.
