Multitasking might commonly be seen as a super skill that all employees and business professionals should master, but is it really all it’s cracked up to be? The truth of the matter is that multitasking doesn’t work, even if it looks like it does. In fact, all it succeeds in doing is making you work slower while increasing your stress and decreasing productivity.
Multitasking Feels Like It Works (But It Doesn’t)
Feeling “busy” might feel great, but it’s all a facade.
If you’re answering texts while you’re watching a video, scrolling social media during work, or shifting between emails and assignments, you’re doing a lot… but that’s all being done poorly and without intention behind it. Your brain is not doing multiple things at once. All it’s doing is switching between tasks really fast, and that’s bad for your focus and quality of work.
Studies have shown that task-switching can dramatically reduce productivity (up to 40%), which is almost half of the workday.
Constant Switching Comes at a Cost
If you multitask, this is the cost:
- You make more mistakes - For example, sending a text with typos while listening to a conversation.
- You take longer to finish tasks - Your brain needs time to refocus whenever you switch tasks, which makes multitasking inefficient.
- Your memory gets worse - You’re not going to retain information while you’re trying to read and watch TV at the same time.
- You get tired faster - When your brain is put to work, it uses more energy, which means that shifting focus really burns that energy up, leaving you drained and unmotivated.
Single-Tasking is the Solution
If you want to kickstart your productivity, consider single-tasking, which is where you focus on one thing at a time until it’s complete, then move on to the next one. Here are the benefits:
- You’ll finish tasks faster - Without switching gears constantly, your brain can focus on one thing and get it done more quickly.
- Your work quality will improve - Since you’re devoting attention to one thing at a time, you’ll do that thing better and remember the details easier.
- You’ll experience less stress - Without so much mental chaos, your stress levels should be lower than if you were to do multiple things at once.
Ditch Multitasking and Start Focusing
If you want to move away from multitasking and more toward single-tasking, there are a couple of strategies you can try.
Time blocks, where you set aside 25-to-50 minutes to focus on single tasks can be an effective way to approach single-tasking. Similarly, you can create a to-do list that helps you prioritize tasks and complete them one at a time before committing to another. While you’re training your brain to focus on one task at a time, it’s important to eliminate distractions by silencing notifications, closing unnecessary tabs, and putting your phone away (or in another room entirely) while you work.
Eventually, your efforts will yield results, so just stick to it!
With the right approach, you can use technology to eliminate distractions and make single-tasking easier. Similarly, technology management is something that a lot of businesses struggle with, and it becomes an additional task that weighs on your mind. Let us handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on running your business.
To get started, call us today at (604) 332-1500.
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