Carolyn Hansen: Is multitasking the answer to our busy lives

How do we work effectively and accomplish what's needed in a complicated, demand-driven "grid" focused world?

In this crazy, busy, fast-paced world, that seems to demand so much of us personally and business-wise, many people turn to multitasking as the answer to "getting it all done." But is it?

Studies done at Stanford University reveal that those who continually try to multitask or "task-switching" (the term used in research) are continually sidetracked by unimportant information stored in their short-term memory. Truth is, when the brain is confronted with accomplishing multiple complex things at once productivity does not increase, in fact, it suffers.

This excessive stimulation is a total waste of energy output, because, the brain, when bombarded by too much information at once, loses clarity. Without clarity, confusion sets in. When confusion sets in, production takes a serious hit.

Psychologists that study cognition or mental processes find that the brain is not designed for excessive multitasking.

For example, when watching a movie, we might attempt to answer/read emails or texts. Something gets lost in the mix and suffers. We either miss part of the movie and must catch up by annoying our partner to explain what we've missed by not paying attention, or our text or emails will suffer and be less effective in their message.

In other words, our attentive level, our conscious attention or concentration, can only zone and be totally effective when focused on one complex task or the other.

Sadly, studies also reveal that once our attention to a given task is interrupted it can take as long as 25 minutes to get totally focused in on the original task. This applies to both personal and business-related tasks.

The reality is that multitasking is overrated, divides our attention and becomes a setback causing inner turmoil and negative side effects from an overstimulated brain. This overstimulation causes our focus/concentration and memory to decrease while stress levels rise.

Research done on task-switching or multitasking proves that:

More errors result from switching from one task to another than when focused on completing one at a time.

Time is wasted because more time is required when switching between tasks than when focused in on one.

So, more of our energy reserves are required and used up. Multitasking complex tasks multiplies and increases these quotients of time used and the resultant errors. It may cost only 1/10 of a second when switching tasks, but continually switching between tasks adds up to as much as a 40 per cent reduction in productivity!

Now, all that said, when intense thinking is not involved, when the task can be performed unconsciously, without much attention to detail, multitasking might prove to be okay. This exception to the rule means (for the most part) we can perform one habitual type physical task along with one mental task.

In other words, doing automatic tasks that we've done repeatedly in the past such as laundry (physical) and talking on the phone at the same time (mental) will likely not cause us to suffer much.

Getting off the grid for a while can help spark your creative side Photo / NZME

Working out (physical) while listening to instrumental type music (mental) can even prove to be an aide to keeping us focused on the task at hand. However, we must be careful to identify which tasks are nearly automatic and which become problematic if we attempt to use this rule because even this rule can prove to be ineffective.

So, how do we work effectively and accomplish what's needed in a complicated, demand-driven "grid" focused world?

Begin the day by identifying and working on the important tasks first

Tasks that really need our attention. Focus in on accomplishing those first, one at a time. Even better, make a list the night before so when you wake, you've already set the priorities for the day and can start in immediately.
Once these are accomplished, you'll feel a sense of mental relief and this helps to eliminate anxiety, a real energy thief and production stealer.

Allow down time

Multitasking puts a lot of pressure and stress on our prefrontal cortex, designed to focus in and accomplish one task at a time.
We must allow time to integrate information and we do this by giving ourselves downtime (meaning we are no longer involved in complex thinking).
This means we have "blank time" during the day when we are not doing anything that directly involves the brain.
Taking nature walks or exercising are perfect ways to give the brain a rest or simply sitting and listening to favoured music. Colouring, like we did as a child, is another exercise that has gained favor and popularity and can be done without much thinking effort involved.

Last but certainly not least, own it

Multitasking or task switching is for many an addiction. If you have been a multitasker in the past (and who hasn't!) own it. Owning it is what opens the door to changing it while denying it produces and increases the addiction.

For those that are able

Get off the grid for a while. You might be surprised to find out how much you can accomplish when not bothered by phone calls, text messages, emails and research. You'll likely find your creativity kicks in and you are working on one project at a time, generating a healthy sense of accomplishment.

Most of us cannot stay off the grid for long, as every day, modern life pretty much revolves around it, but taking short vacations from it could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Releasing the mind of the agitation, fatigue and exhaustion we previously felt when trying to multi-task, turns into calmness, high energy and a boost in production when our energy is focused in one direction. It's a win-win for everyone.
Carolyn Hansen is co-owner Anytime Fitness