Why Multitasking is Counterproductive

While many of us may think that multitasking may increase productivity, according to many scientific studies, doing several things at the same time may actually be less efficient than you think. How come? Well, because your brain takes longer to process things when you have to switch back and forth from tasks. You would be a lot more efficient if you just concentrated on doing one thing at a time. Jumping back and forth from tasks creates stress. No one can learn under a stressful environment. For instance, if you were to be writing an article or essay while surfing the web, you would most likely get a brief writer's block as you jumped from one task to another. You would forget what you wanted to write about in the first place and sit and ponder about what your main idea was. Then again, that may seem insignificant when compared to the more dangerous kind of multitasking that's done daily by billions of Americans. You'll see many people talking on their cellular phones while they're behind the wheel. Some studies suggest that it's comparable to drunk driving.

I love multitasking. I don't feel like I could get anything done without multitasking. It makes me feel more productive when I'm doing multiple things at a time. But research has proven that doing more than one thing at a time costs a lot of time. And it's sort of common sense that if you concentrated on getting one thing done at a time, you would finish doing everything a lot faster. Then again, we do live in the generation where multitasking is normal. With new technology, people are more tempted to do more than one thing at a time. It's absolutely typical to see a teenager doing his or her homework while on their computer chatting on instant messenger and listening to music.

The solution to stopping multitasking is obvious. You can forbid your child to turn on any electronics until they are absolutely and completely done with their homework. Or you can go to extreme measures such as locking them up in an empty room with nothing but a desk and a window, so that they won't be distracted by anything at all. And as for yourself, well... quit that bad habit of making business calls while you're driving to your next meeting! Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but you're also putting others at risk. Turn off outside distractions while you're working. Put your phone on silent while you're at work. And remind yourself to stop multitasking because it's wasting your time!