LIFESTYLE

Why multitasking won’t help you to get more done

21 August, 2023 . 0

While juggling multiple tasks at a time may seem the best way to get more done, science says multitasking isn’t the answer. Here’s why.

Be honest. How many tasks are you juggling right now?

Are you reading this story while nodding along in a Zoom meeting?

Or scrolling through your socials while chatting to a friend on the phone? It’s time to stop.

Multitasking may seem a modern solution for our busy lives, helping us burn through our to-do lists smarter and faster.

But, in reality, researchers have found it doesn’t improve performance – and actually makes us less efficient.

So, what’s the issue with multitasking?

Multitasking is an attempt to perform two or more tasks at once, whether it’s constantly switching between them, or ditching one before it’s finished and starting another.

But only 2.5 per cent of us – the so-called “supertaskers” – can multitask effectively.

While the brain is a sophisticated, complex organ, it isn’t wired to multitask.

Scientists have found our brains and minds lack the neurological and cognitive “architecture” to do it, and can only handle one high-level task at a time.

Resilience expert and Springfox CEO Peta Sigley says it is counterproductive to try, despite the competing demands for our time.

“Attempting to work effectively amid a constant influx of information hinders our ability to effectively transition between tasks, structure our thoughts, and retain essential information,” Peta says.

Negative effects of multitasking

Overloading your brain by multitasking can be detrimental to your mental health, focus, creativity and productivity, Peta says.

“When we make a habit of multitasking – and worse, become reliant on it – we risk becoming overloaded, overwhelmed and burnt out,” she says.

Chronic multitaskers are also more likely to suffer attention lapses and forget the information they are ingesting.

“The reason for this is due to the sizeable gap between our conscious awareness and our brain’s processing capacity,” Peta says.

Why your brain struggles with multitasking

Peta points to research that shows our brains receive about 11 million bits per second of information from the environment around us, but can only process a fraction of this.

“Our conscious minds – that is, the parts of our brain responsible for processing this information into conscious, intelligible thoughts – can only process around 60 bits per second,” she says.

Peta says it’s little wonder that multitaskers are prone to stress, confusion, feeling overwhelmed, and making errors at work.

“When we attempt to take notes during a meeting while simultaneously checking our emails and trying to book a doctor’s appointment, we quickly use up those 60 bits per second without properly focusing on any one task,” she says.

“As a result, we’re likely to find we’ve missed an important takeaway from the meeting, made a spelling error and booked that appointment for the wrong week.”

What to do instead of multitasking

A popular way to stay on track with one task is by doing a work sprint, otherwise called the Pomodoro Technique: intense, 25-minute bursts of uninterrupted work.

Entrepreneur and CEO of Cloud Income Lewis Odgen swears by the technique, setting a timer then taking a short break after the sprint.

“When it comes to multitasking, for me it’s a big no-no,” Lewis says.

“Splitting my time and attention over more than one task results in sub-par results.”