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Multitasking is as real as unicorns.
SallyAnn Gray • May 23, 2019
We've got science to prove it.
Some myths are harmless - like unicorns. However, some myths are harmful, which brings me to the topic of multitasking.
Countless studies prove that multitasking isn't real
(here
and here
and here, just to pick a few!), but too many of us continue to subscribe to the notion that we NEED to multitask. That we are GOOD at multitasking. That multitasking is the only way for modern people to operate because we are just so damn busy. It's just not true, my people.
Let's start by listening to science (hell yeah, science!). I will paraphrase this MIT brainiac
(not his official title) and tell you that we are not actually doing multiple things at once. We are "task switching." Our brains can only do two things at once if one is automatic (like chewing gum and walking at the same time - congratulations, you are amazing!). In reality, we focus on one task, then quick shift to another task, then quick shift to another. It's inefficient. Our brains have to catch up each time. Operating like this doesn't let us get into a flow. (Boooooooo! Hisssss!) Plus, we make more errors when task switching. Also, EVERYTHING takes longer. All of these outcomes suck!
So how does a person avoid multitasking? I'm glad you asked! Here are the things I do that have helped me rehab my task switching ways:
- I block my schedule so I can focus on just one client at a time.
- I set up a beautiful filtering and folder system in my email box, so when I am working on one project or client, I just hang out in the appropriate folder. This way, I won't get distracted by another project or client (recognize this? An email hits your inbox, and it's unrelated to what you are working on at the moment, but "it will only take a second to reply" turns into 5 minutes and then...wait, what was I working on? Where am I? Is it lunch yet?)
- If I am in the middle of something, I don't accept incoming phone calls. I schedule phone calls for a convenient time for all parties. (I love parties!!)
- I installed an app (News Feed Eradicator for Facebook) on my work computer so I CAN'T EVEN SEE my Facebook feed. When I go to Facebook (with a purpose), my feed is just blank. No more mindless scrolling when I actually intended to check in on a business group I belong to.
Do some of these habits seem extreme? Maybe. But they work for me, and as my own boss, I have complete control over my work practices.
Do you have other ways of taming the multitasking myth? Please share - I'd love to hear from you!
You can tell when someone is genuinely listening, versus *waiting for their turn to talk.* If you are not listening, you do not know what is important to me. You are probably going to *tell me* something, rather than find a solution. Ick. Vom. No thank you. If you listen, people will tell you exactly what they want. They will feed you the answers to the quiz (of life). Listening helps me be amazing at my job. I listen to my clients, ask questions, and take notes. Then I apply what I learned about their goals / struggles / needs and deliver work that needs fewer revisions because I absorbed our conversation and let it shape the direction of the output. Look: I made you a line graph!
