Quite inadvertently, multitasking became a part of our basic conduct. It was almost an attitudinal shift?suddenly there was too much to be done in too little time. Suddenly there was this urgency to squeeze in one more chore in that attosecond?answering a call, downloading an attachment from the mail while feeding the Google search engine, typing in the chat window, changing the track on the iPod etc, etc, etc. Most of us will be able to relate to that description with uncanny ease and possibly also a sense of pride. After all it?s an ?asset? to be had. Really?
?The flip side is that multitasking can lead to increased levels of mental, as well as emotional stress, depression and anxiety attacks. It is like being on a constant roller coaster ride, with several things going on in your mind even as you are physically engaged in multiple tasks. It may even manifest in the form of increased frustration and irritability, because in an attempt to get a lot done, one is not able to complete anything,? says Dr Surbhee Soni of Fortis La Femme.
While there is no denying the fact that the levels of stress have increased tremendously in recent times, there are other indications as well to the effect that multitasking is not exactly an asset. ?Multitaskers need not necessarily be individuals who are also better performers. An individual?s performance does not depend on the number of tasks he or she participates in, rather it depends on how many tasks he or she is able to engage in and accomplish successfully. Thus, an individual who may be multitasking can also cause losses as can an individual who is unable to multitask. As a result, the ability to perform, to handle stresses, solve problems, engage in decision making, using effective communication strategies are more essential to ensure that the individual is a better performer,? says Dr Samir Parikh, chief Psychiatrist, Max Healthcare. Consider a recent study done by the psychology department at the University of Utah. The study analysed the behaviour of people while driving compared to how they are while driving and talking on a phone at the same time. 97.5% of the participants were found to be unable to perform both the tasks with sufficient focus and safety. Most were 20% slower with their brake reaction time and the distance they kept between themselves and the car in front of them increased by 30%. Only a meager 2.5% of the participants had a good reaction time, regarded by the researchers as people with ?an innate ?multitasking? personality.?
Dave Crenshaw, the author of The Myth of Multitasking, is hardly surprised. ?Multi-tasking is definitely not an asset. We are saturated in a world that adores multitasking. Companies highlight the ?ability to multitask? as one of the job descriptions, something every employee must possess. However, my experience of working with executives and their employees tells me that the more they try to multitask, the lesser gets done.? He prefers to use the term ?switch-tasking? to refer to what people call ?multitasking.? Why? ?Switching back and forth quickly from one task to the next sacrifices productivity and efficiency. One, the moment you flip in between two or more tasks, you incur ?switching cost? (the number of seconds/minutes it takes for your brain to adjust to the next task). This, in itself, is a time-waster. For example, you are on the phone talking with someone while opening your email messages. The moment you decide to read one of those emails, you are temporarily shutting off your ears to that person on the other line. So, at some point, you?ll get back to him.? Crenshaw suggests that human beings cannot do two or more tasks at the same exact time because the brain physiology is not wired that way. So, as a result of lack of focus, the level of accuracy is decreased. ?So, one would end up redoing it to get the desired outcome. Moreover, even the simplest of tasks become stressful the instant switchtasking is introduced,? he adds.
Dr John Medina, Director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University, precisely pegs it to the ability of the brain to pay attention. He puts it bluntly: ?research shows that we can?t multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously. Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50% longer to accomplish a task. Not only that, he or she makes up to 50% more errors.? While some people, he adds, particularly younger people are more adept at task-switching. ?If a person is familiar with the tasks, the completion time and errors are much less than if the tasks are unfamiliar. Still, taking your sequential brain into a multitasking environment can be like trying to put your right foot into your left shoe.?
There is plenty of research to back the claim. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences separated 100 respondents into groups of heavy and light media multitaskers. The former were engaged in five to six data inputs simultaneously. The two groups took part in four computerised tests designed to find out their ability to distinguish information of interest amidst distractions. The results brought to the fore how media multitasking is linked to fundamental information processing. Not only were chronic multitaskers found to be more susceptible to interference from irrelevant stimuli, they also performed more slowly on tests that required them to quickly switch between tasks.
There is no denying that media multitasking has become quite a snare. The only therefore left is to find a way to work around it. ?One must practice the culture of ?when?, not the culture of ?now?,? says Crenshaw. He asserts that it is important to take control over technology, to master the nagging beeps and buzzes. ?Turn off audible reminders on your e-mail and electronic devices. And budget your time?one way could be to check and return e-mail and voice mail only at specific times during the day,? he adds.
Dr Parikh?s remedy is to prioritise. ?When things are placed in a graded hierarchy it is easy to accomplish tasks. At the same time it is essential that one deters from engaging in procrastination. Things that need to be done should be completed at the right time so that additional pressures doesn?t get accumulated on its account,? he says.