What is Multitasking?
I decided to dedicate my blog to the study of multitasking because it has become inextricably linked to our daily lives, both socially and professionally. I was fascinated by the topic because it is a buzzword often found on job websites and is considered a necessary skill to be productive. Multitasking can be defined as “the process of doing two or more things at once.”
Throughout my research of the subject, I have come to the conclusion that multitasking does not work and is actually the key to being unproductive. Therefore, the following blogs will contain various studies explaining why multitasking is a myth and tips to resist the urge to multitask while becoming more productive in the process.
Why Doesn’t Multitasking Work?
1) Our brains aren’t designed to multitask and in fact the task is impossible. Multitasking is better known as serial tasking which involves switching from one activity to another in rapid succession. When the brain accomplishes something like sending an email or answering a phone, the brain releases dopamine which makes us feel happy. As a result, the brain feels motivated to switch from a number of small tasks rather than working on larger ones because the amount of dopamine released is more immediate.
2) Multitasking increases the hormone cortisol which is responsible for stress. While cortisol makes the brain more alert, the downside is that is makes us more exhausted. Too much cortisol leads to unhappiness and depression.
3) Small interruptions lasting seconds prevent the brain from staying on task. There is a direct correlation between the longer the interruptions are, the longer it takes to return to the original task.
4) Studies show that multitasking in men lose as much as 15 IQ points which makes any preceding task take longer and be reduced in quality.
5) MRI images show that multitasking effects the part of the brain that is responsible for empathy and emotional control.
Critics will argue that walking and talking is possible and therefore so is multitasking but that argument lacks a key point. Multitasking is possible if it does not involve the same part of the brain for the same activity. This will be discussed in greater detail throughout the course of this blog.
All the posts to follow, will concern themselves with tips to resist the urge to multitask and my own journey in how effective each tip was.
