Multi-tasking is what we should be aiming for if we want to be super productive and get shit done! Right?? 

Wrong. You have been sold a lemon. A growing body of neuropsychological research is showing rather than boosting productivity, multi-tasking actually decreases performance, increases fatigue and increases anxiety. When you understand how the brain processes information these findings make sense. 

Jumpy Brain

Imagine you are doing multiple things at once, paying attention to a Netflix show, scrolling through your social media, replying to emails from your team and creating the outline for a work project. You feel like your brain is seamlessly gliding between each of these tasks but despite what it feels like, your brain is not focusing on all tasks at the same time. 

The reality is your brain is jumping from one focal point to another and back again so quickly that is seems like you are doing it all at once. Every time your brain jumps from one focal point (task) to another it must reset attention. Imagine there is a switch that must turn off attention to the TV, turn on attention to your project outline, then turn that attention off and switch to considering the content of an email. Your brain is switching on-off, redirect, on-off, redirect. This takes energy and takes time. This is why after a day of multitasking you are so damn tired. Your brain is fatigued from the constant jumping between focal points. 

Busy Not Productive

We seem to have become enamoured with the idea of being busy. We love to tell others how busy we are. I hear it every day when I ask ‘so how’s your day going?’ Reply ‘ oh I am soooo busy’, or ‘things are so crazy I have to get x, y and z done. Crazy busy’. We love it!

The phase ‘I’m so busy’ is like a badge of honour. Juggling multiple tasks makes you feel busy and to be honest, just a little important. Right? Yet if you look at your day of busyness, your day of hectic multi-tasking I invite you to ask yourself ‘have I achieved a lot or have I just been busy?’. 

You see, busy and productive are not the same at all. Do you want to be busy, or do you want to be productive? Are you busy doing something meaningful or have you created a busy life in order to feel meaningful? Sit on that question for a moment? 

Procrastination Smokescreen

Another question that I invite you to ask yourself is…’Is my multi-tasking a smokescreen for avoiding doing things that I don’t want to do or don’t know how to do’? 

I have said it before and I will say it again, procrastination is not laziness and if you are busily multi-tasking and doing all the things it certainly doesn’t look like you are lazy. The question is are you doing tasks that need to be done or are you busy doing lots of things to avoid the task you don’t want to do. Is your busyness simply a smokescreen to procrastination that is driven by fear of failing? 

Is your multi-tasking enabling you to avoid really digging into one task? The important but more difficult task. 

What To Do Instead of Multi-Tasking

Time Blocking 

I am a distracted multi-tasker by nature and to-do lists are the end of me. I jump all over the place and fail to prioritise properly. Time blocking allows me to give my brain the safety net of knowing I only must focus on this one task for 30 minutes (or however long I pre-determine. Rather than creating a to-do list in your diary, fill in your calendar with task appointments. Work on that task for the allocated time and then move on.

Practice mindfulness 

Start to notice how often you multi-task, pause and draw your attention to your breath, choose one of the tasks and commit to doing only that task for a short period. You might even like to set up a reward for your focus. For example, if I finish this blog post in one sitting, I can scroll Instagram for 10 minutes, or have a coffee or simply sit in the sun and do nothing. 

Start you day with a short meditation to practice calming and focusing your mind. This need not be long or intense. Simply sit or lay in bed for five minutes and sync in with your breath. Become fully aware of the now moment. Repeat an affirming mantra. Starting the day from a grounded, calm state sets the tone for the rest of your day. 

Not all multi-tasking is bad. Try blending cognitive with non-cognitive tasks. That is, tasks that require higher level cognitive processing with tasks that  require little processing. Such as, listening to podcast while commuting on the bus, watching a webinar while folding laundry, listening to a training call while walking. 

Not only will taking a more focused approach to your tasks have positive productivity outcomes it will reduce the strain on your nervous system. Constantly juggling multiple tasks will only increase feelings of overwhelm, dissatisfaction and a sense that you need to keep doing more and more. 

Take a breath. Slow down. Be present with one thing at a time. 

I promise, not only will you feel less stressed, but you will achieve more.