Since the pandemic hit, we have certainly adjusted our lifestyles to the digital era, where we can easily access everything through a single device, such as school, work, and even our social interactions, all now based on virtual platforms. Everything seems so easy and practical that we slowly become less productive. We tend to postpone our responsibilities until it all ends up being on the edge of the deadlines. Since then, multitasking has been a part of our lives. Some people even consider multitasking as a form of time management. Considering multitasking as a form of time management, we juggle between tasks at once, leaving us with a feeling of relief as we complete them within a short time. Is multitasking really a talent, or is it a myth?
Is Multitasking Productive?
Many people think that productivity and multitasking are complementary as if multitasking is a way to increase productivity. People often consider multitasking a special talent because they can divide their focus to complete different tasks simultaneously. However, the truth is that our brains can’t actually handle multitasking that well. Switching between tasks may even cause mental blocks that can slow you down to finish it. Some research even suggested that multitasking can actually lower our productivity by 40%.
Multitasking = Distracting
Rather than being a talent, multitasking may have a long-term effect on someone’s attention span. A research concludes that people who multitask are more distractible and may have trouble focusing their attention even when they are off multitasking.
Multitasking Lowers Performance
Once someone multitasks for a while, they may develop a habit of setting the number of tasks to be done as the target rather than focusing on achieving the quality target of each task. Multitaskers may overlook details, leading to decreased performance over time. Research has shown that students who multitask in class tend to have lower GPAs.
Multitasking Causes Mental Effects
Multitasking can heighten stress, raising blood pressure and heart rate and prolonged stress may trigger depression and anxiety symptoms.
How to Break Off the Multitasking Habit?
People tend to multitask because they think that they have insufficient time to finish all tasks at once. However, the process of assigning all tasks likely consumes some time, leading these individuals to subconsciously wait for their tasks to accumulate before addressing them, resulting in a sense of urgency as deadlines approach shortly. Therefore, it is always best to prioritize completing the task right away or implement the Parkinson’s Law on better time management. Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
Time-Blocking Method
Instead of allocating extended periods for tasks, which reduces productivity, try implementing the time-blocking method. Assign specific time blocks for each task to enhance focus and complete them more efficiently.
Pomodoro Technique
Try the Pomodoro technique: 25-minute work sprints followed by 5-minute breaks to sustain focus.
Get Things Done (GTD): 2 Minute Rule
Prioritize immediate completion of tasks taking less than two minutes, bypassing adding them to a to-do list.
Find out more about multitaksing by watch this video of Daniel Levitin, a cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist, who explains simply how multitasking is a myth rather than a talent.