Why Multi-Tasking Is A Toxic Lie

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Do One Thing At A Time
- Ch: 4.5 of How To Get Your Sh!t Together -

“Most of the time, multitasking is an illusion. You think you are multitasking, but in reality you’re actually wasting time switching from one task to another.” – Bosco Tjan

Multi-tasking simply doesn’t work. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone.

Although it may feel like you can do more than one thing at a time, you actually can’t – at least not well. In reality you are doing two things poorly, and often taking longer to do them compared to if you did them one after another.

What feels like multitasking is in fact more akin to ‘switch tasking’. Doing one thing, then a second thing, then more of the first thing, then some more of the second thing and so on. Switch tasking causes your attention to repeatedly shift between different tasks. This constant shifting takes up time in and of itself, but it also takes time to get back into the zone of each task that you are trying to perform. The more complex, challenging, or creative the task, the longer it takes to refocus and begin performing at an optimal level.

As a teacher I see students attempting to multitask their studying with social media usage. They sit down with their books open and ready. They start reading, but quickly get a notification on their phones. They pick up the phone, respond to the notification and then get back to reading. A few minutes later they get another notification, so they pick up their phones and respond again. This time checking their other social media accounts just in case. This process repeats for the entirety of their study sessions. The result being that although they have been sitting down and ‘studying’ for hours, they haven’t really been able to get into the groove required to effectively absorb information.

The same is true at the gym. In the time it takes me to perform my entire workout session, many gym goers barely manage to break a sweat. I will see them perform one set of eight lifts, and then pick up their phone. Ten minutes later they seem to remember where they are and perform another set, then it is back to the phone. This process is repeated for the entirety of their visit to the gym. I see these people working out daily, yet not getting any results.

Multitasking does not work. It lowers focus and impedes performance.

Like the students struggling to retain information, these multitasking gym goers are only receiving marginal benefits of their gym sessions. True it is better than not working out at all, but only just. They are wasting their time as well as the opportunity to improve themselves. What’s more, not seeing any results would eventually become disheartening.

The issues with multitasking go well beyond the obviously distracting nature of social media. Even if you eliminate all distractions and only focus on performing the tasks required of you, you will still perform those worse when multitasking. This applies to all areas from the physical or labor based tasks, as well as to memory, cognitive and creative based tasks. 

 “Multi-tasking is the ability to screw everything up simultaneously.” – Jeremy Clarkson

However when you break down the tasks and perform them sequentially instead of simultaneously you will see just how much longer multitasking takes, not to mention the issues in quality!

TAKE ACTION

This exercise will show you the true impact of multitasking.

On a piece of paper draw two horizontal lines. Time yourself to see how long it takes you to perform both the following tasks:

1) ‘Sequential-tasking’
On the first line, write the sentence ‘I am excellent at multitasking!’ On the second line, write the numbers 1 to 20. Write down how long this took you to complete.

2) ‘Multitasking’
Repeat this process, only this time you will attempt to use multitasking.

Write the first letter of the sentence ‘I’ on the first line. Then the first number ‘1’ on the second line. Then the second letter ‘a’ on the first line. Then the second number ‘2’ on the second line. Continue this process until you have written down the entire sentence and all the numbers.

Write down how long this took you to complete.

When you compare your times you will clearly see that it took you significantly longer to multitask, and likely the quality of your handwriting suffered as a result.

True, real world examples are not as obvious as this one, but it serves as a dramatic representation of the issues with multitasking.

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Avoid the temptation to multitask by setting yourself up for success.

If you know that you will be tempted to look at social media, turn your phone off. If you know that you have a tendency to get side-tracked performing new tasks as they arise, start each work session with a running sheet that will tell you what you do and in what order, and stick to it.

I like to work with a notepad beside me, its only purpose is to note down anything of interest that isn’t directly related to what I am currently doing. At the end of the session, I review it and consider if I want to look into any of those new areas. The more focused you are the better your work will be.

It takes effort and discipline to set yourself up for success and avoid the temptation of distractions and multi-tasking. But if you manage to do so, you will get more done and what you get done will be of substantially higher quality.

TAKE ACTION

The next time that you sit down to work, write down what you want to accomplish or focus on in that work session. Next to that, place a small notepad labelled ‘Ideas’. This is where you will jot down any new ideas, tangents or new ‘to do’ items.

You will not act upon anything written in the notepad during the session, rather you will religiously stick to your pre-set priorities.

No multitasking!

At the end of the session, review what is written on your ‘ideas’ notepad and consider implementing them during your next work session.

Compare how much work you accomplished and its quality during this session, compared to how much you typically achieve.

———

Since making the effort to only do one thing at a time, I am finding that I am finishing my work sessions with less tension, stress and anxiety. I feel calmer and more focused. I know what I need to do.

I am seeing improvements in my results and others are commenting on my how much quality work I am able to achieve in a relatively short amount of time.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q) What if something comes up that is really important or time based?

A) Often things come up and seem more important than they actually are. It is just that in the moment, it is easy to become fixated and therefore blinded to the larger picture.

If something new arises, I have learnt to like to take some time to detach in order to properly consider any future changes to my focus, directions, plans or goals. When I do make changes on the spot, I often regret the decision and lament having to deal with the undesirable consequences.

I would prefer to wait and make a decision in a calm and rational mindset. If that means I miss out on an opportunity, that is a trade-off I am willing to make!

Resources
The Myth Of Multitasking, All In The Mind
Distracted driving: The multi-tasking myth, TechKnow (video)

Summary
Multitasking is a myth. It reduces performance time and quality of work. Only do one task at a time. Keep a notepad beside you to write down any tangential tasks that pop up – revisit these at the end of the session.