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1-Page Summary of The Myth of Multitasking

Overview

Grab a pen and some paper. Set your timer for one minute, then write the following sentence: “Multitasking is really switchtasking.” Write each letter down in order with numbers underneath them from 1 to 26. Then, without writing the entire sentence first, go through and put all the letters down with their corresponding numbers underneath them as quickly as possible. You will find that it takes less time to do it this way than if you had written out the whole thing first before adding on the numbers below each letter.

How many apps do you have open on your phone right now? How many tabs are open in your browser, and how many different e-mail threads and Facebook messages do you have going on at the same time?

Most people are guilty of doing too many things at once. We try to multitask in our communication, as well as the rest of our lives.

And multitasking isn’t as helpful as you might think. It’s inefficient and counterproductive.

In this article, you’ll learn why the term “multitasking” is a misnomer. You’ll also read about how to set office hours and find more time for things that you love doing.

Big Idea #1: There’s no such thing as multitasking. In reality, people are either actively on one task or passively switching between tasks.

These days, there are more ways than ever to communicate with people. However, it can feel like you’re juggling multiple tasks at the same time. The traditional way of dealing with these multiple tasks is multitasking, but that’s not a good idea because your brain isn’t designed for multitasking. It’s better to focus on one thing at a time and switch between different activities throughout the day. There are plenty of studies to back this up, including one from Vanderbilt University which found no neurological evidence that humans can multitask effectively.

The brain can switch between tasks quickly, but it’s only pretending to be multitasking.

There are two different kinds of switchtasking. One is when you make active switches, and the other is when you make passive switches. Active switches happen in situations that you create yourself, such as deciding to check your e-mail while talking on the phone. Passive switching happens in situations where someone else creates them for you by calling or texting you during a meeting or something like that.

Passive switches occur when you’re doing something and then someone else interrupts your work. For example, if you’re working on a project that is due soon and someone stops by to talk to you, it would be a passive switch.

In the following points, we’ll examine why these switches are harmful to your work and what you can do about it.

Big Idea #2: It’s not a good idea to switch between tasks.

At some point, you may have been proud of your ability to multitask and highlighted this on your resume.

But that’s not the truth. Switchtasking is a poor way to work since it takes up more time than doing one thing at a time. For example, let’s look at Helen who works as CEO for a retail clothing company. She’ll usually get interrupted several times during her day, and she ends up wasting time on multiple things instead of focusing on just one task at once.

A typical scenario would be if an employee interrupts their boss with a question, and the boss tries to answer while continuing what they were previously doing. However, since the questions are complex, the boss will have to give up what they were doing in order to focus on answering it. They will not be able to get back into that original state of focus for some time after switching between tasks.