MULTITASKING - HOW IT REALLY LOOK LIKE

Multitasking is a concept around which many myths have arisen

Many of us say that we multitask every day. Performing several activities at the same time seems simple and effective. After all, we can do more at the same time - so why not use it?

Who among us wouldn't like to be more productive?

However, there are many conflicting opinions on this subject. Does multitasking work? Is multitasking an advantage or maybe a disadvantage? Are there more effective techniques? Let's take a closer look at this.

What is multitasking?

Multitasking is nothing more than performing several activities at the same time. Eating a meal while watching a YouTube video, talking on the phone while driving (on the loudspeaker, of course 😉), or answering an e-mail while listening to an audiobook.

These are examples of activities that can easily be considered multitasking, so it should be noted that we use it almost every day - and often completely unconsciously. This seems like very good news.

Multitasking is something that allows us to do more, in less time. Who among us would not like to increase their efficiency by several dozen percent?

Work and expand your competencies at the same time, e.g. in the form of audiobooks? Do outstanding chores faster to enjoy your free time later? Moreover, such a multitasking employee is every boss's dream. An employee answering e-mails who also talk to customers on the phone? Why not?

Efficiency at work is one of the key factors that influence our perception as an employee and even the possibility of promotion! Multitasking seems to have only positives - you just have to use it.

What does the research say about multitasking?

Before I answer this question, I will suggest something else. Let's conduct our experiment - on you.

Below I've posted a short, one-and-a-half-minute video of several people passing two basketballs between themselves.

Your task is to count how many passes the people in white shirts made. Nothing else. Are you ready?

Now turn on the video and count the number of passes by people in white T-shirts.

This was perfectly demonstrated by other research conducted in 2001 by three researchers from the University of Michigan (link to the original research

If you managed to count the passes correctly and at the same time spot the gorilla in the video, CONGRATULATIONS, because research has shown that the vast majority of us fail to do so. This is just one of many sample studies that show one of the biggest disadvantages of multitasking.

Our brain has great difficulty doing more than one thing at a time!

This was perfectly demonstrated by other research conducted in 2001 by three researchers from the University of Michigan (link to the original research HERE).

Scientists have proven that the drop in performance when performing several activities at the same time can be up to 40%. This is a reduction in efficiency by almost half!

This happens because our brain cannot focus on even two activities at the same time.

This means that when we perform two activities at the same time, the brain switches attention between one activity and the other, which gives the illusion of focusing on them at the same moment. Each time such a switch of attention occurs, our brain needs another millisecond to "catch attention" and realize what is currently happening. It is this switching of attention between activities that is most disastrous for us.

As it turns out, such switching between tasks is very tiring for our brain, which - as you can easily guess - causes a significant drop in efficiency. And although in the short term, it seems like we are doing more, the result is that the quality of work done is much lower.

People who, for example, study for an exam and at the same time check social media regularly perform statistically worse on exams than people who are not subject to distractions while studying.

However, as with everything, this time I think that the golden mean is Multitasking is not only bad and harmful.

The use of multitasking in activities that do not require too much attention from us, such as cooking and listening to an audiobook or learning words by listening to a lecturer combined with running, seems to be harmless.

So multitasking may not be harmful when, for example, we are watching a match and talking to someone at the same time, but when we are driving a car, speeding down the highway, and talking to someone on the phone (even through a speakerphone), the consequences can be tragic.

Is it possible to learn multitasking?

In the 20th century, there was a man whose amazing abilities still make scientists dizzy to this day.

Harry Kahne was a person whose word "multitasking" was definitely a middle name. During his sample performance, he read newspaper titles aloud, writing them backward and upside down with one hand and doing the same in a mirror image with the other. At the same time, he divided the multi-million number by 4 and added another 7 multi-million numbers. Moreover, he was in dialogue with the audience all the time. Of course, he performed all these activities at the same time.

Harry Kahne even created a special course in which he included special mental tasks that were intended to teach people his amazing abilities. Unfortunately, there never was another Harry Kahn.

Research conducted on this topic many years later showed that multitasking cannot be taught, but in fact -a very small percentage of people have some tendency to multitask, which does not compromise the quality of these tasks.

However, as it turns out, this is an incredibly small percentage of society. We can therefore make a general conclusion that multitasking is not a skill, but rather an innate predisposition and is not worth learning.

The question that comes to my mind is – is it worth learning to multitask? Today, there are many effective methods to improve work efficiency and increase productivity. Specifically, I mean one method that is the complete opposite of multitasking but gives much more promising results. I use it even now while writing this article.

We're talking about mindfulness.

Mindfulness as the opposite of multitasking.

Mindfulness is focusing your attention on the present moment. It is being present here and now. This is the complete opposite of multitasking, which forces you to focus on several activities at the same time.

Performing activities using the mindfulness method means focusing on one activity to which you devote 100% of your attention for a given unit of time.

This is a method that involves setting a block of work in which you only perform a previously determined activity. No distractions, no social media, no conversations with colleagues at work, no audiobooks. Only full concentration, which allows you to squeeze the most out of the allotted time.

I have been using this method for a very long time because I simply feel its effectiveness. Usually, when I write a blog article, like now, I also do it in blocks of time.

How much is one block for me? 50 minutes of uninterrupted work and 15 minutes of break, during which I step away from the computer, stretch my legs, and spend time with my loved one in a fun way.

A break should be something that allows you to rest and stop for a moment before the next block of work.

Exercise:

1. Determine what time blocks you want to work in, e.g. 25 min, 15 min, or 45 min, and set breaks between blocks, e.g. 5 min or 10 min.

2. Determine the task to be completed and the number of blocks you want to work on.

3. Start a block of work and during it focus on only one designated activity.

4. Once you're done with your work, take a break for a few minutes and then start the next block.

I also attach a planner for a full week to test time blocks (completely free)

PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER - DOWNLOAD HERE

Try the effects of such work on yourself and see how much you can accomplish. You will then notice that full concentration allows you to get even more out of it and you do not need to perform several tasks at the same time.

Then you teach your mind to focus on only one activity, as it was naturally created for this. You may even enter a "flow" state where you want to start the next block immediately after it ends (this happens to me very often).

This is the key to true efficiency.

A few general tips at the end

Here are some general tips that will help you get the most out of mindfulness and significantly increase your effectiveness:

Always decide in advance what you will do during a block of work. Don't let it be a general statement "I work" because work can mean many activities. This is about specifics.

Determine specific tasks that you will perform during the work block, e.g. "writing an article", "answering e-mails", "reading about efficiency", etc.

During a block of work, focus only on work. Don't leave your desk or computer until you've finished your block. Try to use this time as effectively as possible. It's your working time and it's up to you how you use it.

Watch out for distractors! Turning on Facebook for a few seconds is already multitasking, which, as you already know, significantly reduces the quality of your work.

Be careful of conversations with others, the radio on in the background, and other distractions that steal your attention.

Try to eliminate them all.

Don't neglect breaks and make the most of your rest time. It's time to gather your strength to make the most of your next block of work.

Plan how you will rest - a few minutes walk or reading a light book are my ways of regenerating.

Let me know how working in blocks works for you and what other methods do you use.

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