My Money is not on Multi-Tasking Anymore

As a project manger, I have always prided myself on my ability to handle multiple, simultaneously occurring tasks and to track the status of any or all of them at any given point.

I can also do laundry, talk on the phone , watch TV , stretch in a yoga pose and read a book at the same time, too….

Am I proud of this? I used to be…until I saw up close and personal the mental toll it’s taken on my acuity. Some may call it adult ADD, but I know I am not alone…multitasking is pervasive in our society.

According to the John’s Hopkins School of Medicine:

When you multitask, you may think you are getting a lot done, but there’s a cost when the tasks compete for the same (and limited) cognitive resources (e.g., attention, working memory) and draw on the same brain circuitry. This is true, no matter how good you think you are at multitasking. There’s just too much competition for the same neural circuits and what you end up with is a compromise. Neither task is performed as well as it is when performed alone.

And…I would add to that, we become short-fused, lose focus and no longer able to engage in rhythmic thoughtfulness. By definition, we cannot live in the present, because we are trying to move faster and accomplish more than time allows.

Multitasking may actually be counterproductive. In the era of email, Twittering, Facebook, instant messaging, and smartphones, our brains never disconnect. Like any muscle, the brain will fatigue and not operate as effectively.

We ALL need to slow dowwwwwwn and focus more…perhaps the old adage “one thing at a time, one day at a time” still has its merits.

Wishing You Success,
Natalya

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