Multitasking Is No Longer Helpful

We all do it: Texting while walking, sending emails during meetings, chatting on the phone while cooking dinner. In today’s society, doing just one thing at a time seems downright luxurious, even wasteful.

But chances are, you’re not doing yourself (or your boss, or your friends and family) any favors by multitasking your way through the day. Research shows that it’s not nearly as efficient as we like to believe, and can even be harmful to our health. Here are reasons why you should stop everything you’re doing—well, all but one thing—and rethink the way you work, socialize, and live your life.

 Twenty years ago, this was a skill you wanted to be good at, but more recent research has proven that multitasking myth as false.

Why is this a problem for Safety Managers? 

Well, how many tasks are you responsible for completing in a day?  Typically, it will be a very long list.

We have a lot to do in a short amount of time, with very little help.  Therefore, your time is valuable, and you want to make sure you are using it wisely.  Multitasking skills are actually wasting your time.

Unfortunately, many people believe they can beat science, and multitasking is possible for them.  I have even had people tell me they work better when they multi-task.

For the skeptics out there, let me prove it to you.

TRY THIS MULTITASKING EXPERIMENT

You will need a stopwatch (the one on your phone works) and a pen and piece of paper.  It is helpful if someone does the timing for you.

Step 1:

1. Start the timer
2. Write down the following 2 lines of text, one right after the other
   1. “Multi-Tasking is a Myth”
   2. Then write the numbers 1-19 in order

3. End the timer and record how long it took you

Step 2:

1. Start the timer
2. Write the same two lines, but alternate the characters.
   1. Write the M
   2. Move to the next line and write 1
   3. Back to the 1^st line and write U
   4. Move to back the 2^nd line and write 2
   5. Until both are written (the order is M-1-U-2-L-3-I-4-T-5 and so on

3. Stop the timer and compare it to the first result

How accurate was this 2^nd try? As you can see, I forgot the last number and I miss-wrote 2 of the numbers – my brain was still on letters.

WHY MULTITASKING SKILLS DON’T WORK

It’s all in the brain science.

The brain is always wanting to work efficiently.  It creates neural networks for completing tasks.  For example, you have one neural pathway for writing and a different pathway for counting.

When you switch from one task to another, the brain needs to switch what pathway it is using.

There is a time delay in this switch, but there is also resistance because it wants to stay efficient and finish what it was doing.  So you get a period of a residual thought pattern.

Like when I wrote K instead of 8.  My brain was still on writing even though I was on the number line.

So this can lead to errors and a decline in the quality of work.  You’re not fully focused.

Think of it like a train.  You’re traveling along on rail, but then you have to switch tracks.  The train has to slow down a little during this process, and there is a tiny section where both tracks meet up.  This is where accidents can happen if the tracks aren’t perfectly aligned.

But when you stay on one task or one track – it’s like you are riding the express train.  No stops, no delays, just forward motion – you get there quicker with less chance of accidents happening.

HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER

I have two tips for you:

Tip #1:

Only focus on one thing at a time. Either a task, phone call, conversation, webinar, you name it.  Whatever you choose to focus on, give it your full attention.

For example:

• If a colleague walks into my office while I’m working.  I either ask them to leave or stop working and focus on what they needed.
• On a webinar or conference call, give it your full attention.  You will not retain as much information if you are checking your email at the same time.  (think about it – have you ever had to rewind a podcast or audiobook because you missed something while you were focused on another task?
• When inspecting with a colleague, when I find a hazard I want to point out, I stop walking or looking around and discuss it; if I continue to inspect, my explanation will be poor, or I will not inspect as well.  You think this slows you down, but it improves the quality of your work and the interaction with your colleague.

Tip #2:

Batching. Your brain likes efficiency. Work on similar tasks at the same time.  This makes the switching less drastic as the pathways are similar.  This means doing all writing that you need to do at one sitting, all filing, all reports, all email…you will complete these tasks quicker because your brain is on the express train for that task.

WHEN IT IS OK TO USE MULTITASKING SKILLS

Here are some multi-tasking examples we do successfully every day; you probably don’t even realize it.

• You walk and talk
• You eat and have a conversation
• You operate a car and follow directions to a new location

What you will notice is that one of these tasks is essentially an auto-pilot task.  Something you have done so much that you don’t need your executive functioning parts of your brain to complete it – Walking, eating, driving a car.
When you want to multi-task, one of those activities has to be on auto-pilot.  That means you can have lunch while on a conference call or webinar; you won’t hinder what you are learning.  But stay off your email or cell phone.

You’re Not Really Multitasking

What you call multitasking is really task-switching, says Guy Winch, PhD, author of Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt and Other Everyday Psychological Injuries. “When it comes to attention and productivity, our brains have a finite amount,” he says.

“It’s like a pie chart, and whatever we’re working on is going to take up the majority of that pie. There’s not a lot left over for other things, with the exception of automatic behaviors like walking or chewing gum.” Moving back and forth between several tasks actually wastes productivity, he says, because your attention is expended on the act of switching gears—plus, you never get fully “in the zone” for either activity.

Read>>>>>>https://positivepsychology.org.ng/2023/08/05/reduce-your-expenses-and-be-more-organised-with-the-ohio-principle/

It’s Slowing You Down

Contrary to popular belief, multitasking doesn’t save time. In fact, it will probably take you longer to finish two projects when you’re jumping back and forth than it would to finish each one separately. The same is true even for behaviors as seemingly automatic as driving: In a 2008 University of Utah study, drivers took longer to reach their destinations when they chatted on cell phones.

“What tends to save the most time is to do things in batches,” says Winch. “Pay your bills all at once, then send your emails all at once. Each task requires a specific mindset, and once you get in a groove you should stay there and finish.”

You’re Making Mistakes

It’s Stressing You Out

When University of California Irvine researchers measured the heart rates of employees with and without constant access to office email, they found that those who received a steady stream of messages stayed in a perpetual “high alert” mode with higher heart rates. Those without constant email access did less multitasking and were less stressed because of it.

And it’s not only the physical act of multitasking that causes stress; it’s the consequences, as well, says Winch. “If you do poorly on an exam because you studied while watching a baseball game on TV, that can certainly trigger a lot of stress—even self-esteem issues and depression.”

You’re Missing Out on Life

Forget seeing the forest for the trees or the glass half full—people who are busy doing two things at once don’t even see obvious things right in front of them, according to a 2009 study from Western Washington University.

Specifically, 75% of college students who walked across a campus square while talking on their cell phones did not notice a clown riding a unicycle nearby. The researchers call this “inattentional blindness,” saying that even though the cell-phone talkers were technically looking at their surroundings, none of it was actually registering in their brains.

Your Memory May Suffer

It makes sense that if you try to do two things at once—read a book and watch television, for example—that you’re going to miss important details of one or both. But even interrupting one task to suddenly focus on another can be enough to disrupt short term memory, according to a 2011 study.

When University of California San Francisco researchers asked participants to study one scene, but then abruptly switched to a different image, people ages 60 to 80 had a harder time than those in their 20s and 30s disengaging from the second picture and remembering details about the first. As the brain ages, researchers say, it has a harder time getting back on track after even a brief detour.

It’s Hurting Your Relationships

“This is an area where I think multitasking has a much bigger effect than most people realize,” says Winch. “A couple is having a serious talk and the wife says ‘Oh, let me just check this message.’ Then the husband gets mad, and then he decides to check his messages, and communication just shuts down.”

One recent study from the University of Essex even shows that just having a cell phone nearby during personal conversations—even if neither of you are using it—can cause friction and trust issues. “Do your relationship a favor and pay your partner some exclusive attention for 10 minutes,” says Winch. “It can make a big difference.”

It Can Make You Overeat

Being distracted during mealtime can prevent your brain from fully processing what you’ve eaten, according to a 2013 review of 24 previous studies. Because of that, you won’t feel as full, and may be tempted to keep eating—and to eat again a short time later.

Experts recommend that even people who eat alone should refrain from turning on the television while eating, and to truly pay attention to their food. Eating lunch at your computer? Slow down and take a break from the screen to focus on each bite.

You’re Not Actually Good at It

Yes, you. You may think you’re a master multitasker, but, according to a 2013 University of Utah study, that probably means you’re actually among the worst.

The research focused specifically on cell phone use behind the wheel, and it found that people who scored highest on multitasking tests do not frequently engage in simultaneous driving and cell-phone use—probably because they can better focus on one thing at a time. Those who do talk and drive regularly, however, scored worse on the tests, even though most described themselves as having above average multitasking skills.

It’s Dampening Your Creativity

Multitasking requires a lot of what’s known as “working memory,” or temporary brain storage, in layman’s terms. And when working memory’s all used up, it can take away from our ability to think creatively, according to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Too much focus can actually harm performance on creative problem-solving tasks,” the authors wrote in their 2010 study. With so much already going on in their heads, they suggest, multitaskers often find it harder to daydream and generate spontaneous “a ha moments.”

Support Us To Do Better

Dear Reader,

Every day, we work hard to provide our audience with the most comprehensive information that could help to improve a positive and healthy lifestyle. Quality blogging costs money. Today, we’re asking that you support us in doing more. Your support means that Positive Psychology can keep offering quality service to everyone. Pay as little as N1,000 to support us.

Bank transfers can be made to:

Zenith Bank

2250531253

Adebayo Oluwole

Please send details of your bank transfer to our email or WhatsApp number so we can contact you.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Contact us at Positive Psychology and Educational Consult. At Positive Psychology and Educational Consult, we are ready to help you to navigate your life. Contact us today. Phone: +2348034105253. Email: positivepsychologyorgng@gmail.com twitter: @positiv92592869. facebook: positive.psych.12

Credit

https://www.health.com/

thesafetygeek.com