MULTI-TASKING

Time Saver or Time Waster ?

Multi-tasking is promoted as an efficient way to meet the complex demands of our modern society and accomplish more in the same amount of time. In both our personal and professional life, attempting to do many things simultaneously can actually have the opposite effect. It makes our work less efficient and contributes to stress, and, maddeningly, it leads to more multitasking. For example: Attempt to work on a document, however, while working on the Internet or talking on the phone doesn’t accomplish much, and time mysteriously disappears.  Worse, often we feel as if we haven't done our best.

 A human being is not a computer. Computers can multi-task with ease. Operating system is capable of running any number of programs without sacrificing accuracy or peace of mind.  Computers are specifically built to handle more than one task at a time; people are not.  While there are some low level tasks in which one can multi-task, such as eating and watching television. For professionals doing client work, multi-tasking is an idea whose time should never have come. If we attempt to multi-task at home or at the workplace we are likely to mess up something in our day or week.  So how are we supposed to fit in all of your daily tasks without getting so stressed out or frustrated?  The answer is: less is more.

Work Smarter:

When an airline flight is cancelled and people rush to the reservation desk and scramble to catch the next plane or some other connection, does the gate agent attempt to take on five or ten people at a time?  No. He or she looks at the computer and handles a particular customer's rerouting, looking up only sparingly.  The attendant is not fazed by a 20-person line because it is clearly only possible to move through it one customer at a time.

If we are able to continually hone and refine our powers of concentration we will be able to do a better job and have more time at the end of the day. Both our productivity and our peace of mind will improve. Attempting to multi-task may offer some temporary psychological benefits.  In the short run, it can help reduce anxiety as the practitioner erroneously believes he is saving time.  In the long run, it contributes to greater anxiety: one comes to believe that there are no options for making it through the day without "doubling up" on activities.  

If you notice yourself falling into behavior patterns that resemble computerized multitasking, try these solutions: 

• When you are writing or reading, do not stay near the Internet, Instant Messenger, Television, a mobile device, or any other computerized distractions. 
• Take a 15-minute break once during the morning and once in the afternoon.
• Don't eat at your desk. Get away so you can recharge your battery.
• Wisely invest in equipment or technology that provides a significant return. Seriously consider any item that saves at least two hours a week of your time.
• Focus on the big picture of what you are trying to accomplish. This will allow new solutions to emerge and activities that seem urgent to be viewed from a broader perspective.