Multitasking: true performance or false productivity?
Do you multitask?
If you text your friends while watching your favourite series, the answer is yes.
If, at work, you're writing an important report while having a professional conversation with a colleague or answering the phone, the answer is yes.
And there are many more examples, since multitasking has become one of the hallmarks of our modern world. Over-connected, difficulty concentrating, ever-increasing workloads... What is the 'why' of multitasking? And above all, how does it impact our daily lives, our psychology, and consequently our professional performance?
Take a few minutes to read our article, and find out everything there is to know about the subject.
Multitasking: definition
What is multitasking?
Although the term multitasking was originally used in the IT industry to describe certain operating systems, it is now increasingly used to describe human behaviour.
Today, multitasking is defined as carrying out several activities or tasks at the same time, in both the private and professional spheres.
For example, managing email while attending a business meeting.
But in reality, as we shall see later, the brain can only process one activity at a time. MRI experiments have shown that when performing several simple tasks, the brain is actually juggling between them.
What we call multitasking is the act of constantly switching from one activity to another, thinking we are doing both at the same time.
☝️ It is important to stress that the development of multitasking goes hand in hand with the multiplication of technological and communication tools. We can see that multitasking often includes different channels of communication:
- direct conversation + emails
- internet browsing + telephone, etc.
Why do we multitask?
Although it has always existed, the development of multitasking in recent years can be attributed to a number of factors:
- the anthropological factor: humans have always sought novelty and stimuli to counter boredom. Multiplying tasks and indulging in various diversions (consulting the telephone, for example) stimulates the brain and provides satisfaction.
- the technological factor: compared with our ancestors, we are more exposed to external stimuli, due to the proliferation of technological tools (email, social networks, smartphones, etc.).
- the professional factor: the desire to do more, to perform better in a demanding professional environment in terms of productivity? There's a well-established belief that performing several tasks simultaneously saves time.
☝️ This last point is very important, because many people believe that multitasking is a friend of productivity. Certain profiles (multitasking person, or multi-tasker) even boast of their ability to carry out several activities at the same time.
But the reality is quite different, and multitasking has many limitations.
The limits of multitasking
Reduced concentration and attention span
It has been proven, particularly by cognitive science, that our brains are not calibrated to do several things at once.
⚠️ As a result, information overload (known as " infobesity") :
- dilutes our attention for each of the activities to be carried out ;
- penalises our concentration on the main task in hand.
Increased risk of error
Multitasking prevents us from correctly grasping the inputs, i.e. the information available during the information entry phase. In other words, a multitasking individual reacts to a given situation more than they actually analyse it.
⚠️ Consequence: the risk of errors and inconsistencies increases.
Impact on intellectual capacity
Several studies have led to the following conclusion: multitasking has a lasting effect on our mental capacity.
In fact, according to British psychologist Glenn Wilson, regular multitasking results in a loss of 10 IQ points!
Waste of time
Continuous work takes less time and energy than work carried out in several stages.
Loi de Carlson
We have seen that multitasking is mainly about switching quickly from one activity to another. This practice, known as switching, actually wastes time.
Our brains need a certain amount of time to fully concentrate on the new task in hand. According to an American study by the University of California, this adaptation time can be as much as 23 minutes!
⚠️ It's easy to imagine how much time is wasted :
- Switching from one activity to another,
- immersing yourself completely in a new occupation.
Degradation of social and professional relationships
Are you dealing with your emails in the middle of a business meeting?
Are you rushing to answer the phone in the middle of a formal discussion with one of your colleagues?
⚠️ We'll let you imagine the image such behaviour conveys to the person chairing the meeting, or to the person you're talking to in general...
Procrastination
People who multitask often find it difficult to tackle lengthy activities.
⚠️ As a result, they have an annoying tendency to procrastinate, i.e. to put things off until tomorrow.
Difficulty processing certain information
The attention problems associated with multitasking mean that they are less receptive to certain types of information.
⚠️ Multi-taskers are more inclined to process visual stimuli (computer graphics, for example), whereas they have difficulty reading an article in its entirety, for example.
Greater stress
According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, multitasking leads to the release of stress hormones.
Overwork and over-solicitation of the brain are also thought to be one of the causes of burnout. Contrary to popular belief, concentrating on a single task is less tiring on the brain.
How can you avoid multitasking at work?
Practice "intelligent" multitasking
As you will have realised, multitasking is not recommended.
There is, however, one case where it is less problematic: if one or all of the activities require little concentration and can be " automated".
It is perfectly possible, for example, to listen to a podcast while doing work that requires little concentration (typing, for example).
Avoid all sources of distraction
It seems obvious, but when you're working on a professional task, avoid all sources of distraction:
- Switch off your smartphone and disconnect from social networks;
- don't get lost on the web when you're doing research, and concentrate your efforts on a specific objective;
- set aside a time when you can't be reached on the phone, for example to finish an important file, etc.
Organise your working time better
Here are a few tips:
- The aim is not to stop checking your emails or making those important phone calls. It's more a question of setting aside time for this, planning it into your working day so that you can stay focused on each of your activities at the right moment.
- Also consider using certain work methodologies, such as the Pomodoro method. In a nutshell, this time organisation technique requires you to take a 5-minute break every 25 minutes of work, to recharge your batteries and stay focused on your main task.
- Multitasking sometimes reflects difficulties in concentrating on time-consuming tasks. In this case, it's best to do your work in the morning, before there are too many outside demands and you become tired.
Look for other sources of satisfaction
We know that the quest for stimuli is one of the factors encouraging multitasking.
That's why we encourage you to look for other sources of contentment in the working environment, such as the sense of satisfaction associated with a job well done and completed.
💡 It has been proven that making to-do lists, on paper or using software like Trello, is rich in psychological benefits. Crossing off a completed task does indeed provide a sense of achievement. Be careful, however, to only include tasks that can be completed in a fairly short space of time (a large task will then be divided into sub-tasks), so that you don't feel frustrated if you don't finish.
Meditate
Finally, multitasking and difficulty focusing often go hand in hand.
As a result, practising meditation and, more generally, concentrating on your breathing helps your mind to refocus on your main task when you're at work.
Multitasking and corporate responsibility
In the final analysis, multitasking is a false friend which, under the guise of getting more work done, produces the opposite effect.
However, while multitasking is a matter of individual work habits, it is also up to the company to become aware of the problem, with the aim of putting good practices in place. Accepting, for example, that you cannot be disturbed (by chat, telephone, etc.) at certain times of the day is one of the new habits that need to be adopted, in order to provide each employee with an environment that is conducive to concentration... and therefore performance!
Article translated from French