In some cases multitasking is seen as a skill. People seem to be producing more but it’s actually an illusion.
Someone who seems to be doing multiple tasks at once is actually changing from one task to another. It will take them more time to complete these tasks compared if they would focus on one task, complete the task and move on to the next one.
Why? It takes time to adjust your mental setting when you switch between tasks. Your memory needs to adjust to the different work, and pinpoint where you left off. In some cases, you’ll need to familiarize what you previously completed.
Evidently, the more complex task will require more mental capacity and in turn, take longer start we you left off. Therefore, you spend more time on preparation. This means that humans were not built to multitask.
Even slight distractions can waste time because we lose our train of thought. The pop up email in the corner of your screen can be the thing that derails your flow. Your eyes shifting slightly because you’re curious who sent the email. When you come back to your main task, you need to regain your focus and find where you left off. Minimize distractions by closing every chat software and put your phone away when doing deep work.
There’s not only adjusting your mental setting when multitasking but also a lot of cognitive load on the brain. Think of multitasking as having multiple softwares open on a computer. The more you have open and engaged, the slower the computer will be. The brain is similar. The more you think about, the slower you’ll be able to process each individual thought. Even worse, you may get confused and eventually overwhelmed that you’ll shut down.
You may be thinking multitasking on simple tasks is efficient but switching between task multiple time adds up even if it only takes you a second to refocus. It will not only take you more time but you’re more prone to errors. You’re better off completing one task and moving on to the next.
So, how many things can someone do at once? The answer is one. Get your mind focused on a particular thing for an amount of time. Use methods such as time blocking to help you focus on one task.
All of this doesn’t mean you can’t work on multiple projects in one day. You just need to work on something for an hour, take a 5 minute pause, then work on something else for an hour.
Remember, switching between tasks within a short period of time may seem more productive but it’s actually takes longer and more apt to errors. If you only focus on one tasks, you’ll definitely be more productive compared to if you were doing two or three things at once.
Take care.