Brandon Hayman
Research isn’t often unanimous in social science; one exception, however, is the topic of multitasking.
People who multitask show an enormous range of deficits in cognitive tasks. A study funded by Hewlett-Packard and conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, found that “workers distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.”
According to the book One Second Ahead, by Rasmus Hougaard, research overwhelmingly shows that at work, multitaskers are masters of everything that is irrelevant. They let themselves inadvertently be distracted by anything and everything.
High multitaskers are notorious for assuming they’re high functioning, when in fact high multitaskers can’t filter out irrelevance, can’t use working memory well, have a hard time managing emotions, are more stressed out, and have stifled creativity — meaning less innovative thinking.
There is a misnomer that one can easily shift — that when concentration is really needed, then multitasking can be shut off and become laser focused. But this isn’t true. The brain has lost the ability to focus, like an atrophied muscle.
So why do we do it?
The short answer is, it’s addictive for the brain. Even though it’s draining and stressful, it’s also very exciting. In a study conducted at Harvard University, researchers discovered that multitasking provides a dopamine injection, so it feels good, and it brings a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. But if the brain can be trained to work inefficiently, it can also be trained instead to be more efficient.
Ultimately, everyone wants to be the best version of themselves. It’s just a matter of remembering and actively wanting to streamline the day toward more mental clarity and better productivity.
The first tip, the biggest tip, is simply awareness around the fact that the brain doesn’t do its best work while multitasking. Without awareness, there is no change.
Get a timer, set it, and work on one thing. Follow the 20-minute rule — commit to email and commit to 20 straight minutes. Efficiency is higher and, more importantly, one 20-minute session is better for brain health.
Turn off all phone and computer notifications. Who is running the show if the day is dictated by the outer world pinging and ringing every minute? Every time a notification is received, attention is diverted to a new task, and it can take up to 25 minutes for attention to fully focus back on the original task at hand. That is a lot of lost productivity and brain power.
Avoid checking email and social media all day. The habit is real, and often apps are checked for the sake of filling time. The desire to be the best, brightest, and most energetic self has to be greater than the desire to see what someone else is eating for lunch on Instagram.
Practice mindfulness. The practice builds the muscle of self-awareness, and it cultivates the strength needed in the brain to break a habit and create new ones.
Tom Davenport, the former director of the Accenture Institute of Strategic Change, says, “Understanding and managing attention is now the single most important determinant of business success.”
So, for anyone of you who still thinks you are really good at multitasking, remember the science. But also consider this for a moment: What might be possible without it?
