Do you think you've mastered the complicated art of multitasking? Well, hate to break it to you, but the idea of “multitasking” is a scientific improbability. If you’re trying to multitask, you’re never giving anything 100 percent of your attention.
For example, have you ever been chatting on the phone while on your way to work, and suddenly you’ve reached your location and seem to have auto-piloted there? This shows how multitasking messes with your brain.
Many people think that multitasking is a valuable skill to possess, but trying to do it is actually damaging to the regions of your brain involved with memory and cognition. Those who get the most done on a day-to-day basis (and have the healthiest, stress-free brains) are the people who are serial single-taskers.
What, exactly, is the problem with multitasking?
Multitasking as we know it does not actually exist. When you think you are multitasking, you are really just shifting rapidly from one task to another, interrupting yourself over and over. Your brain needs up to 15 minutes to refocus on a task after a disruption. As you can probably tell, this gets next to nothing done in the end.
According to Harvard Business Review, productivity goes down by as much as 40 percent when trying to multitask, and unlike other things in life, multitasking practice does not make perfect. The more you heavily multitask, the worse you get at it. It is draining your brain, exhausting you and decreasing your sharpness.
Researchers at Stanford University found that regular multitaskers have trouble paying attention, recalling information and switching from one job to another. University of London research reveals that multitasking drops your IQ by as many as 15 points, which is equivalent to staying up all night. On average, this gives you the same IQ as an 8-year-old. You wouldn’t want an 8-year-old doing your work for you, right?
But, I’m really good at multitasking!
We get it, you’re busy. But, that does not make you different from every other human on the planet when it comes to the inability to effectively multitask. The human brain is not designed to do more than one thing at once, ever. If you still think you can multitask, try out The Multitask Test and see how your skills stack up. If you want something a little more intense, try this test:
What is single-tasking & why should I be doing it?
Single-tasking is the art of simply focusing on completing one task before moving on to the next. It sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? In a society ravaged by multitasking, this is not the case. Single-tasking may seem inefficient if you are used to juggling multiple tasks, but the increased focus necessary for single-tasking results in completing each task faster and with more accuracy than multitasking.
When you begin single-tasking, you can start reaping the benefits such as lower levels of stress, improved time management and sustained focus to complete a challenging project. Single-tasking also improves your time management and patience for finishing projects. There are really no negative side-effects to making the switch, it just takes a ton of hard work and concentration (and maybe prying yourself away from your email for a little while).
Breaking the habit
Switching gears from multitasking to single-tasking is not easy. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help you along the way. Taking advantage of one or all of these sites will help you maintain a single focus and boost your productivity. Here are some favorites:
- Now Do This: This site is extremely simple and efficient. It enables you to create a one-at-a-time to-do list, where you submit all the tasks you need to do today, and it displays them one at a time. Once a task is finished, you just click done and the next on the list will appear.
- Asana: Asana prides themselves on the fact that they are "Teamwork without email." Free for up to 15 members, Asana allows you to create teams, assign teams to a workspace and create tasks to accomplish within their workspace.
- OneTask: Only available for Macs, OneTask is basically a more sophisticated version of Now Do This. This site lets you make your to-do list and postpone a task until a specific time, skipping to a new one. Once the time is up on a postponed task, you will be reminded that it still needs to be completed.
The big picture
If there is one thing you've learned in the time it took to read this article, it should be that you need to give your brain a break. A little multitasking is unavoidable in life, but when it comes down to getting the important things done, do less to achieve more. You will find yourself becoming more productive and will bring your stress levels down to that of a normal, functioning human.
Remember, single-taskers are the smartest people out there, so join the crew.
How do you feel about single-tasking? Let us know in the comments!
Sources:
https://hbr.org/2010/05/how-and-why-to-stop-multitaski.html
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/singletasking-vs-multitasking-32781.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jim-taylor/single-tasking_b_845809.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/05/08/why-single-tasking-makes-you-smarter/