Many multitaskers get a thrill from believing they can do multiple tasks at once. But scientists say they may be doing more damage than good.
Your office mantra: get as much work done as you can, in the least possible time. Who wouldn’t like to get to work early, knock off some emails, prep for a few upcoming meetings, have breakfast, all the while giving your two cents on the latest office gossip?
Many people think of themselves as Wizards of Multitasking, but scientists reveal that they could be doing more damage than good to their brains. The human brain isn’t designed to do more than one task at a time. What’s even worse is that overloading it with more information only slows it down.
Multitasking is a weakness not a strength
When you switch between small tasks, what you’re in effect doing is encouraging bad brain habits. Ever noticed how relieved you feel when you complete a task, say, posting a tweet or sending an email? Well that’s a bump up your happy hormone, dopamine. Because your brain rejoices at getting doses of dopamine, it encourages you to switch between small tasks that will give you the instant gratification you need to keep on going.
Read: Workaholism: The reality of working too much
But that’s not the worst of it. This instant gratification creates a dangerous feedback cycle that makes you feel like you’ve accomplished so much, when in essence all you’ve really done is waste time on miniscule tasks that don’t require much critical thinking. Efficiency and work quality are also affected. Multitasking has been shown to significantly reduce IQ as it becomes harder to organise your thoughts and decipher between relevant and irrelevant information.
Stress levels are increased
Unsurprisingly, multi-tasking has been known to increase levels in the stress hormone, cortisol. By constantly allowing your brain to shift between tasks, your stress levels shoot up and at the end you’re left exhausted even though the real work hasn’t really begun.
Teach yourself to singletask
Singletasking will force you to focus on one task at a time. However, you’ll need to stand firm and genuinely commit to doing one task at a time. You can worry about the next task after you’ve worked on the current task.
Multi-tasking is not a “skill” to boast about. It’s a bad habit that you need to put an end to. If you still feel like you need to multitask it might be too demanding. Rather find a job that will allow you to do less and get more done on Careers24.
