The Myth of Multitasking

I presented a new program earlier this week at the IIAT Joe Vincent Seminar in Austin, Texas, called Maximizing Your Productivity: How to Add 10 Hours to Your Week Without Working Longer. It was well received. It seems just about everyone would like to be more productive so they have the time necessary to achieve their goals.

One of the eight steps to maximizing your productivity I talked about was “The Myth of Multitasking.”

I really do believe that we are not good at multitasking, regardless of what your kids say. If you believe that interruptions or distractions do not reduce your productivity, then this information is really going to amaze you.

Let’s look at some facts:

• Studies have shown that it takes five minutes to get back on track after a 30-second interruption. It’s called Recovery Time, the time it takes to get back to the mental state you were in before you were interrupted. This Recovery Time is usually 10 to 20 times the length of the interruption. So avoiding these interruptions is key.
• Many people believe that “multitasking” actually helps them get more done since they are doing two or more things at the same time. I hear people all the time brag about how good they are at multitasking. I am not talking about combining an activity that just involves rote tasks, like walking while talking on the phone. I am talking about combining two tasks that both require you to use your brainpower.
• Most experts claim that multitasking reduces—not improves—efficiency.

So, who is right?

Neuroscientists have discovered that when you try to accomplish two or more dissimilar tasks that both require some level of attention and brainpower, your brain just can’t take it in and process these two separate streams of information and encode them into your short-term memory.

Researchers have found that in controlled studies, only about 2.5% of people can multitask without performing WORSE at each task. That is not to say they perform better or faster—just that they don’t perform worse.

Researchers have called these people “supertaskers.” (Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5/2010)

However, this really doesn’t answer the question: Are YOU good at multitasking?

Dave Crenshaw, who is the author of the book The Myth of Multitasking, has created a quick, simple quiz you can take to find out.

Take the test yourself. You may be surprised at the results. And… ask others (your staff?) who say they are good at multitasking to take the test.

Crenshaw says that although what you THINK you’re doing is multitasking, what you’re ACTUALLY doing is what he calls “switch tasking.” Switch tasking is switching back and forth rapidly between two or more tasks.

Crenshaw has found it doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 60 years old, or if you’re male or female—this is true of just about everyone.

Crenshaw lists at least three downsides of switch tasking. They are:

• Things take longer.
• You make more mistakes.
• You will increase your stress level.

So here’s one way you can add more time to your week without working more: train yourself to stop switch tasking. Batch activities together and process your work. And you will find you can create a little more time in your day.

How did you do on the test? Let me know.