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Isn’t multitasking a strength? Perhaps you are one of the many who included “multitasking” on your resume as a strength. Many people brag about their ability to multitask.
However, we now know multitasking is highly inefficient. Our brains only consciously focus on one thing at a time. While a computer may perform parallel processing (many things at one time), humans do not. We may fluctuate between 2 or more tasks or thoughts, but we only hold one thing in conscious awareness at any given moment.
This means that we have transition time as we move from one task to another. In order to pick up where we left off, we have to review what was completed already and then reset our concentration to the task at hand. Therefore, there is wasted time as we move from one task to another.
If we have 4 tasks to complete, it will take a shorter time to complete them one at a time compared to completing them by multitasking. One statistic says that multitasking adds about 10% – 12% of the time to completing all 4 tasks. It may take 18 hours to complete a set of tasks by uni-tasking and 20 hours by multitasking.
Additionally, there is a higher likelihood of making mistakes when multitasking.
The solution? One thing mindfully. Use mindfulness skills to direct the attention to one thing. Sometimes it is helpful to set a timer for a set time such as 15 minutes while engaging sustained attention for small blocks of time. This means no checking emails or other allowing other distractions for the designated time.
With commitment and practice, it will get easier to maintain focus for chunks of time throughout the day. Think “one thing mindfully.”