The Myth of Multitasking in Increasing Productivity

Every person wants to be more productive than they already are, making use of their 24 hours in a more efficient way. This need of being productive births the idea of multitasking. You somehow get caught up in different tasks at once, with hundreds of tabs open on your computer, and, if you’re like me, with another screen streaming your favourite show. 

You’d think you’re getting more done in less time, but in reality, you’re consuming more time than you actually need to finish a task well. 

Multitasking Meaning: What It Really Means and What You’re Actually Doing

Multitasking isn’t as simple as ‘doing two things at once,’ like how an equation doesn’t necessarily give you one definite answer. You’d need to understand the truth in the concept of multitasking to understand how you can really use it to be more productive, not the other way around. 

These common concepts — but not so common terms, are called context switching and having attention residue. 

Context Switching

When you’re constantly shuffling between two or more tasks at the same time, you’re really just switching between different contexts, instead of actually multitasking. Context switching refers to how your brain is able to put your focus on different tasks very quickly, as quickly as a 10th of a second. 

As humans, we might argue that context switching is a regular thing, especially considering that it only takes a 10th of a second, but the time doesn’t actually prove to be anything of significance as the critical measurement is the bandwidth a person requires when switching between tasks. A study found that constantly ‘switching’ between tasks not only reduces your overall focus, but decreases your productivity levels by 20%.

Attention Residue

Attention anyone who claims themselves a multitasker! 

Humans aren’t meant to be multitaskers, we’re meant to be monotaskers. When you’ve completed a task and have crossed out one thing on your daily to-do list, you’re expected to take a break, before moving into the next directly. This is because we have an attention residue. 

Take a movie for example. Once you’re out of the cinema, you take at least 5-10 minutes of your time walking from the exit towards your car discussing the movie that you’ve just watched. You discuss theories, complaints, and anything related to it. This also applies to the idea of multitasking. 

Having two tabs opened at once with work that’s completely unrelated may take a toll on you and you may end up having lingering thoughts and ideas that wouldn’t benefit your work in any way. 

This is also why you may sometimes write different words on your computer that you don’t often plan to, due to the conversations that may be happening around you. When you think you’re multitasking in this way, your performance for your tasks suffers, instead of the opposite. 

How to Be Productive and Increase Productivity

Although multitasking has been a norm in our modern culture for years, it’s important to understand that multitasking does more harm to your attention and focus than good. Instead of getting 100% of both things, you’re actually getting 50%. Although multitasking may not be the best approach to boost productivity, there are still some other ways to properly make the best out of it.

Create a schedule with dedicated time on tasks

Think of a schedule like a roadmap to get to your destination. You can’t get there without the correct directions, especially when it’s your first time completing a foreign task. You’d have to write down each timing —  starting from when you wake up, all the way to when you go to bed. 

As you become more organised, you’d start to notice the time you take to complete different areas and tasks in your life and also be better able to focus without distraction from other tasks. 

Take breaks, avoid multitasking

Instead of multitasking for hours on end by binge-watching a Netflix show while completing your assignments and other work, you’d be better off breaking your tasks in smaller sequences.

Instead of scratching off 5 long hours for an assignment while your TV is on, try shortening your study session to only 2 hours, taking an hour’s break in between to watch your show. 

This way, you’ll be able to give 100% of your focus for both tasks without compromising one or the other. This also enhances your focus so your productivity can increase.

Optimise your environment to avoid multitasking

Multitasking often comes from the need and desire of doing your task in the first place. For you to avoid having the need, you’d need to be able to know how to optimise your environment and surroundings. 

Perhaps another phrase you could use to understand this is: reduce distractions. Avoid having a second screen just for your show or studying near your phones. When you keep your multitasking opportunities out of the way and lock those ‘abilities’ out the door, you’d be able to commit to one task at a time.

Dropping Multitasking Skills Isn’t Easy

It’s definitely challenging to get used to the idea that multitasking skills, honestly, doesn’t exist. The truth is that it’s our own attempt in getting the most done, in the limited amount of time we have, which simply compromises our workflow and productivity instead of giving us the efficiency it promised. 

As humans, and ultimately students prone to bigger goals and expectations, we often get tempted to do more than one thing at a time and sometimes even convince ourselves that it’s useful. However if you’re really honest with yourself, you’d notice that it really just slows you down in getting the tasks done, even if it was only a tiny bit. 

Debunking the concept of multitasking doesn’t leave you vulnerable from increasing your productivity, but it has done just the opposite. Let’s make this change in giving all our focus on one item at a time and understand the things you can do to boost productivity.