5 Reasons to stop Multitasking and get things done
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Multitasking arises out of distraction itself.
Are you a multitasker and feel proud to multitask?
Before we get to dig into this, lets first know what exactly Multitasking is.
Multitasking is the ability to perform more than one task,
or activity at the same time period. It is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles
we face today, with so much technology and too many distractions.
Our brains can take in millions of bits of information but can only actually
process a few dozen per second.
When you say you’re multitasking, what you’re
really doing is switching back and forth between tasks very quickly. So, you
end up spending all our energy alternating between tasks, instead of focusing
on doing one of them well.
Still willing to believe in the power of multitasking. Here
are the 5 good reasons I feel which exaggerates the fact that multitasking
is killing our efficiency without we even knowing about it.
#1: Decreases Productivity
People who claim to be good at multitasking are not very productive. In fact, they are some of the least
productive people.
Several studies indicate that
working on several things at once lowers our productivity by at least 60% and
our IQ by more than 10 points.
One study founded by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research found that a sample group of more
than 4000 young adults who were addicted to their smartphones got less sleep,
felt less connected to their community and were more likely to show signs of
depression.
Multitasking reduces
productivity and this also happens because it interferes with a certain type of brain activity. Hence, it is suggested to work on one task at a time
rather than completing many tasks at once.
#2: Waste of Time
Most often we think that if we combine
tasks it will save us time, but evidence shows that it has the reverse (or
opposite) effect.
For example, Let’s suppose we’re listening to a
Youtube video while writing an e-mail, when suddenly a chat prompt pops up and
we answer it. Meanwhile, our phone vibrates in your pocket and after responding
to that message, we’re back at our computer, logging on to Twitter. Pretty soon
30 minutes have passed, and we’ve forgotten what the e-mail we were writing was
supposed to be about.
It has been scientifically proved that if
we continually ask our brains to switch back and forth between tasks, then we
waste time, make more mistakes and remember less of what we’ve done.
So, we should focus on a single task
rather than focusing on multiple tasks in order to save time.
#3: Not developing Flow towards a task
We’re not computers adept at parallel processing. Concentrating on one thing at a time may be the single most important factor in achieving.
In order to remain focused on a specific task we need:
·
To be in a distraction-free environment.
·
To have control over what we’re doing at every
moment.
Technology is great if we’re in
control of it. It’s not so great if it takes control of us.
For example, if you’ve to write a
research paper, you might sit down at your computer and use Google to look up
the information you need. However, if you’re not very disciplined and not very
focused, you might end up wasting your time surfing the web instead of writing
that paper. In that case, Google and the Internet will have taken over, pulling
you out of your state of flow.
One of the best examples I can
say about is lack of flow while eating i.e. lack of mindful eating. Sometimes
we put on a movie with breakfast and don’t realize how delicious the cereal was
until we’re taking the last bite.
So, developing a flow while doing
a particular task is very important. Some advantages of flow are:
·
A focused mind.
·
Living in the present.
·
We are free from worry.
·
The hours fly by.
·
We feel in control.
·
Our mind is clear and overcome all obstacles to
the flow of thought.
·
Our ego fades.
The following diagram depicts how Multitasking lowered test performance by 11%. The entire paper can be found at The Effect of Multitasking on Comprehension of Lecture Content.
#4: Less Memory Power
Multitasking takes a toll on memory. Several studies conducted at Stanford University
by Clifford Ivar Nass describe our generation as suffering from an epidemic of
multitasking.
Research shows that juggling many tasks can divide attention and hurt learning
and performance. To make things worse, multitasking can interfere with short-term
memory.
Anytime you’re trying to multitask, you’ve
less attention available to store memories. For example, a person who tries to
read email while talking on the phone will have a hard time retaining any of
the information.
Hence, multitasking makes it harder to
remember things and makes us feel stressed by the sensation that we’re losing
control, that our tasks are controlling us.
#5: Make more Mistakes
It has been scientifically shown that if we continually ask our brains to
switch back and forth between tasks, we tend to make more mistakes.
Studies have found that multitasking is no
longer a skill to brag about but to worry about. It causes us to actually make
more mistakes, retain less information, and change the way our brain works.
According to the Stanford research,
multitaskers are terrible at filtering out irrelevant information. That means
that there is sure to be some mental cross-firing and overlap between tasks.
Therefore, concentrating on a particular task makes us less likely to make mistakes and increases our creativity.
How to avoid falling victim to this flow-impeding epidemic called multitasking?
At this point, you might be thinking, “How
can I train my brain to focus on a single task?”
Here are a few ideas for creating a space
and time free of distractions, to increase our chances of reaching a state of
flow:
· Don’t look at any kind of screen for the first hour you’re awake & the last hour before you sleep.
· Turn off your phone before you achieve flow.
· Start your work session with a ritual you enjoy
and end it with a reward.
· Work in a space where you’ll not be distracted.
· Divide each activity into groups of related
tasks and assign each group its own place and time.
· Try the Pomodoro Technique.
· Share weekly goals and accomplishments with
others.
Conclusion
You and I, we both looked upon
various factors responsible for killing our efficiency if we’re multitasking.
Whether it be reducing our productivity, wasting our time, not developing flow
towards a specific task, reducing memory power, or causing us to make more
mistakes, we need to understand that it is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles
we face today that kills our efficiency at work.
Multitasking is doing so much harm
to us rather than doing any good. It causes anxiety which plagues people who
consistently divide their attention.
Considering all of these reasons,
it’s easy to see why the power of multitasking is a myth that has never
actually helped anybody to efficiently accomplish anything that matters. Here, I described the various
factors in which multitasking is affecting us and how we should avoid it to actually
get things done.
I hope, you would apply these
tips and instead focus on a specific task to maximize your efficiency.
Do you tend to Multitask a lot, and if yes, how does it affect your productivity and efficiency?
Let me know in the comments below.
Peace!
2 comments
This is true, and this is helpful too, one shouldn't be doing multitasking. Good one bro!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, man 😊
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