Multitasking is not good for anyone

Carmine Coyote has written an excellent article on multitasking and how ineffective it makes us.

Multi-tasking isn't a solution. It's a vast and growing part of the problem.
(...)
People who believe they can multi-task effectively share a dangerous delusion: that paying attention to several things simultaneously actually increases their available attention above 100 percent, so they can still focus fully on every task. This is logical nonsense. It's like saying you can spend your total income on food and housing and have the same amount available to spend on an expensive vacation.
- Carmine Coyote

That is very good advice. Most companies think that you can easily do more than one thing - some even go to the extent of defining their success by the number of tasks they have to handle. The truth is that it does not work that way.

How long will it take to convince everyone, including the grab-and-go organizations and macho Hamburger Managers out there that true multi-tasking isn't possible? That what they are doing is lowering productivity, raising stress levels, and turning creative, productive people into semi-idiots?
- Carmine Coyote

And, it is not only companies that think this way. Many people feel guilty and less productive if they only have a single item on today's list of tasks.

BTW: Pressure from within is one of the highest causes for stress - and most frequent cause for burning out.

I used to be a person who was "thrived on multitasking", I constantly did more than one thing, and I managed or was part of more than one project at the time. But, the number of projects, things, tasks, ideas and general interruptions caused me to become less productive with each job. During this time it also was not unusual that I worked 60-70 hours per week.

1-2 years ago I was forced to change how I worked. I had to become more productive and less stressed -simultaneously. I solved it by moving away from the multi-tasking life. I now get more done, in less time, at higher quality - and most importantly without feeling stressed.

My work day basically looks like this:

08:00 - 10:00: Check email and solve whatever small task that might have come my way (I do this from my home, away from any interruptions).

10:00 - 12:00: Work on today's project

12:00 - 12:30: Lunch, check email

12:30 - 15:45: Continue working on today's project.

15:45 - 16:00: Check email, plan for tomorrow

A few things to notice:

I only check my emails 3 times each day
I have a fixed two hour window in which I work on the little things (the things that usually caused interruptions)
The rest of the time is spent on whatever project I am working on that day.

The important thing is to:

Never work on more than one thing.
Get small things out of the way.
Always keep you list of projects low - the same goes your list of To Do's. Reduce your mental workload. My current list contains 3 tasks/projects - and I am only working on one of them.
Kill projects that you cannot finish. Never push them to a new deadline or say "I will put this on hold to a future date".
Always have time to spare in your daily plan. Project buffer is essential.
Say no repeatedly. Never allow people to simply dump things on your desk (this is hard. It took me 1½ year to get my collages to accept and to understand how important it was to the overall productivity).
Eliminate distractions. Close your email program, turn off your phone, listen to music - not radio, close the door to your office etc.
Feel balanced. Get enough to eat, drink, and sleep before you work. Take breaks when necessary.
Never give out deadlines that you not sure about (high stress factor).
Do you best, and if you still feel you are not doing enough - you need to go see a shrink (I really mean this).

You need to focus not only on the number of things you work on, but also on your mental workload - how many things you mind has to cope with. You are still multitasking if are constantly reminded of future things in your head.

Single-tasking is undoubtedly a key element to getting a better life, and to become more productive. Delete your calendar and to-do list and give yourself a fresh start (I did).

Many people feel they must multitask because everybody else is multitasking, but this is partly because they are all interrupting each other so much
- Marilyn vos Savant - Columnist and author

Comments

Leslie - Apr. 6, 2007

Multi-tasking seems suboptimal if your analysis focuses mostly on the individual, but just as time-sharing/time-slicing operating systems replaced single-user systems, we are increasingly, as a society and a world, interdependent.

From a collectivist standpoint, it doesn't quite mater as much if a single person is somewhat less efficient, as long as the group can Get Things Done.

A good mix of single-tasking and multi-tasking slows down the individual, but has the chance to speed up the time-to-completion (the needs of the many) for an entire group.

Thomas Baekdal - Apr. 6, 2007

Leslie, I am not sure I understand what you are saying - but I cannot see how multitasking as a group justifies making the individual less efficient. I agree that it often happens, but it is not a good way to work as a team.

Multitasking is by definition doing two or more things simultaneously, and that divides the focus, which means less efficiency overall. This also applies to a group.

Good teamwork is having individuals or small groups single-tasking within their field of responsibility - working towards a mutual goal. To the outsider it seems like the group is multitasking - they do many different things at the same time - but each team member is single-tasking.

...or just look at sport. Multi-tasking will ruin your game. You cannot be both defensive and offensive. Instead you assign each player a role that he must fill 100%. As a team you cover all areas of the playing field, but each player is single-tasking within his responsibility.

The result is synergy.

engtech - Sep. 8, 2007

It's interesting that you say focus two hours on small tasks at the start of the day. I find that very distracting when I do that because the small tasks often get bigger.

Most of what I've read on single tasking involves identifying your Most Important Tasks of the day and then focusing exclusively on them.

Because it is your most important task, even if you don't get to anything else you're still maximizing your effectiveness because it is your most important task.

I know what you mean about getting the small stuff out of the way though, because there's a lot of stress if it feels like it is always piling up.

collector - Dec. 26, 2007

Multitasking is usually not good for people. Switching from task to task takes some time, you have to recall at what point another task was stopped, what is done and what is not.

But sometimes multitasking is good, because you switch your thoughts to another project, and some very good idea may pop up when you get back to the original project.

Gini Quat - Jun. 9, 2008

Lately, I have wondered if multi-tasking was created by people who have ADD. Since most people in the work force these days grew up on TV, most of them have ADD. Perhaps because TV shows get through mutliple story lines in 30 minutes, it makes us feel like we should do the same at work.

This mentality causes too much pressure for the people who like to take things slowly but do so efficiently. Now, on many job descriptions "must be able to multi-task" is listed at the top.

I prefer to take things slowly. Last year, I quit my job and I stopped following the crowd. The last 6 months have felt like a year. Back when I was multi-tasking a year would go by before I knew. Time is all we have, we should cherish it.

Sara - Aug. 14, 2008

Its so refreshing to hear that there are people out there who think multi tasking is a negative thing. I've been feeling so unsuccessful lately, and honestly a little bad about myself because in the last 8 months I've lost 2 jobs because I couldn't do 50 things at once. When my last boss let me go she told me I was wonderful with patients, that I was hardworking, great at focusing on a task and very detail oriented, she said that my co workers loved working with me and that I had a great attitude, but said she had to let me go because I struggled to perform 50 tasks at once. It broke my heart. I was devastated that I couldn't meet her expectations. Now I recognise that I am very good at focusing on a specific task so that it gets my full attention and is done right, and I don't think thats a bad thing. Thanks to all of you for letting me know that I'm not alone, I really appreciate this site.

dawn - Oct. 24, 2008

i disagree with u

Bri november 5,2008 - Nov. 5, 2008

i just wanted to say i think that everyone multitasks you just don't know you do.

Multitasking is not good for anyone

My work day basically looks like this:

A few things to notice:

The important thing is to:

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