Why Multitasking Doesn't Work
Have you seen the job ads where “great multitasking skills” are required? Or maybe you even put it on your resume yourself?
No shame, I’ve done the same. I think all of us at least at one stage thought that we’re terrific at multitasking.
Now there are more and more articles and videos that multitasking doesn’t work.
It came like a bit of a shock for me while I was reading Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland.
And no, you’re no different from anyone else (it kinda hurtful, huh?), says the book, and no, you can’t multitask either.
It has been scientifically proven that our brain can not focus on two things simultaneously.
Let’s say you’re driving and talking on a phone and then start really paying attention to what the other person is saying.
For example, it’s your mum, who’s explaining where she’d like to put her new couch. It will be right next to that small table where we used to keep that beautiful tray, remember? She asks. And you try to picture what was that tray and where was that table she’s talking about. And then…. You lost your attention from the road. Very dangerous.
Same thing when we work in front of the computer. We can’t reply to the email, write the next blog post and chat with someone on Instagram. You start switching between these three tasks back and forth losing about 20% of your productivity and attention. It’s your “loss in context switching”. That’s why even if we get busy but then at the end of the day we have nothing (or very little) to show what we’ve completed.
You can see a mind-blowing table that shows how much time you’d waste if you multitask in the video below at about 02:05.
If you’re unsure if you’re switching between the tasks, the best way to understand where your day goes is by using a time tracker. It can be a simple manual Time Tracker that you can download over here.
OR
You can use a digital time tracker. The one I use and love is a Toggl Track.
I’m using it right now as I’m writing this blog post for you.
You’ll get a good picture of how you use your time. It’s an eye-opening exercise that you most likely resist. But if you do it - the work you work may change forever. Awareness is the first step to making a change, right?
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