If You’re Going to Be Doing Multiple Tasks at the Same Time, at Least Do It Right.
“Multitasking” has become a bad word. Most research suggests that our brains aren’t actually capable of focusing on multiple things at the same time, but that doesn’t mean multitasking is evil. If you want to multitask, here’s how to get the most out of it.
Benefits of multitasking
If we know that multitasking can negatively impact performance, why would you even bother trying? In The Age of Inquiry, author Tyler Cowan points out that despite its known cognitive deficiencies, multitasking does something that shouldn’t be underestimated when it comes to our work: it retains interest.
The emotional power of our personal combinations is powerful, and they make working and learning so much more fun. In part, multitasking is a strategy to keep you interested.
Keeping interested is keeping motivated, which is the hardest part of the battle. Multitasking can also make you feel like you’re doing more. This, in turn, can generate more enthusiasm for your work and a greater sense of accomplishment when everything is done. It may not be exactly what’s really going on, but sometimes how you feel about your work is more important than how much you did at the end of the day. Multitasking can also make crappy work more enjoyable, as well as help you occupy your mind and fight frustration when a task gets you in trouble.
Multitasking may not be perfect, but it’s also not the demon that everyone does it from. If you are going to do this, there are ways to get the most out of it. With the right approach to multitasking, you can avoid the worst pitfalls and still get a lot of work done.
Multitask at the right time
When you’re multitasking, you need to know when to do it and when not. Think of multitasking as a tool that goes into your toolbox. You wouldn’t use a hammer to tighten a screw, and you wouldn’t use a screwdriver to drive a nail. Or, as psychologist Shelley Carson explains :
The ideal situation is to be able to perform multiple tasks at the same time when multitasking is appropriate and when concentration is important.
No two people are exactly the same, so knowing when it’s appropriate to do multiple tasks at the same time depends a lot on how you work. Be mindful of how you take on specific tasks. Is it easier for you to be distracted by some tasks than others? Keep this in mind so that you can make a mental list of the work that you know is best for you to complete one task.
You can also track what you are doing throughout the day so you know what time of day you have your weakest mental focus. If you know that you find it difficult to concentrate in the late afternoon, you are probably better off multitasking at other times when your brain is able to work to its fullest. In short: you don’t have to completely give up multitasking in your life, but realize that there is a time and a place for it.
Limit yourself to two big tasks at the same time
Multitasking doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything at once. Most of us try to do too many important things at the same time and are thus too overwhelmed. It’s not uncommon for most of us to overestimate our abilities, so you must set a hard limit on yourself to keep things in check.
While research has shown that your brain cannot focus on multiple tasks at once, it may be helpful for your brain to switch focus between a limited number of tasks. In a study led by Etienne Keklin of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and published in the journal Science , Keklin found that switching between the two tasks is not costly to focus and task effectiveness for participants. The trick, Keklin explains to Scientific American , is to make sure the tasks are worth it:
The complexity of the task itself does not interfere with the dual task. People should be able to switch between two challenging tasks (postponing one while completing the other), provided that the incentive to complete each task is strong enough.
Plus, both tasks should be fun for you. If you are simultaneously working on an interesting and boring, thankless task, you will most likely lose motivation for the latter. When this happens, demotivation can also translate into a rewarding task. So prioritize two, and only two, tasks that need to be done at the same time, and make sure both keep you motivated.
It also gives you the opportunity to give your brain some rest. Working on two tasks at the same time allows you to switch gears from one task to another when you are frustrated, stumped, or need a break after completing one task. If you bump into a wall, you can switch to another task and not be distracted from your workouts.
Put the kinds of tasks you want together
It is also important to consider what tasks you are doing at the same time. Naturally, some tasks are better suited to others. For example, watching TV while running on a treadmill or folding your clothes while on a phone call is good together. Dividing your tasks into other compatible tasks not only makes multitasking possible, but also makes it more productive than single-tasking.
Many of us find some of this synergy naturally, but it’s a good idea to spend some time and really think about which tasks are related to each other. If you, for example, studied your household chores, you could probably create an effective schedule that allows you to do multiple tasks at the same time and clean the house in no time. It might look something like this:
- Start washing
- Soak the dishes
- Shower / Bath Spray
- Vacuum the living room
- Wipe down the counters in the bathrooms
- Wipe down shower / bath
- Vacuum bedroom
- Clean dishes
- Transfer the laundry to the dryer and so on …
Thanks to the power of “multitasking”, all these duties are completed in the time it takes to wash one load of laundry. And all this while listening to your favorite podcast. Define your own tasks that can be performed in tandem and create the ideal workflow. If you plan everything right, your multitasking will be efficient and your attention will not be focused.
Make mind-blowing work more bearable
Some work is not fun at all, but you can improve what you hate with a different type of task allocation. A recent Ohio State University study by Zheng Wang and John Chernev and published in the Journal of Communication explored the relationship between these needs and performance and motivation. Wang and Chernev found that multitasking with simultaneous rewards makes the work much more enjoyable for the participants. Wang explains:
They don’t work more productively – they just feel more emotionally satisfied with their work … [The students] felt satisfied not because they were effective at school, but because the addition of television made learning fun. The combination of the exercises makes them feel good … they get an emotional reward that makes them do it.
While studying and watching TV may not be the best example, the same effect is possible with other types of tasks. For example, you can listen to an audiobook you didn’t have time to read while you work in the garden, or work out some audio language lessons to keep your mind busy. You can take a pleasant walk outside and view your phone’s backup of your mailbox, marking the most important ones that you need to answer later. You can bring your laptop to your favorite restaurant and finally complete the project while removing distractions and keeping you in the mood with delicious food.
These positive feelings, while not always conducive to your productivity, can be more beneficial when you look at the big picture. You are not a robot and you have emotional needs that need to be met. Multitasking can turn a dirty or awful task into something we really want to accomplish. You may even end up what you put off before because you made it more enjoyable.
The key here is choosing the right types of reward tasks to fit your production goals. It’s best to avoid things that constantly interfere with you or require a significant shift in your attention. Your goal with these awards is to align them with your objectives, not to completely distract you from your objectives. Listening to music, watching a TV show you’ve already seen, or snacking on your favorite snack are good examples.