Multitasking feels like a superpower. The ability to do more than one task at a time - it’s impressive. I’ve always marvelled at how some people can make it look effortless.

I’m not going to completely go against multitasking because I believe there are instances wherein it’s unavoidable. I’m thinking about mothers caring for their children while cutting fruits and vegetables and stirring something in the pot now and then. Or talking to a grumpy preschooler while driving home after picking them up from school.

Sometimes, we unconsciously do it. At work, you’ve probably answered the phone while typing an email and signalling something to a colleague from across the room.

But I think it has to be addressed that while multitasking gets us through difficult days, it can also compromise our productivity and work quality. And if we get used to relying on multitasking, it could lead to problems that could cost you and your business.

In this post, allow me to share the true price of doing too much and how it impacts your work and personal well-being. I’ll also explain an alternative that works much better than multitasking.

The Truth Behind the Multitasking Myth

I’ll get straight to the point. If you are in pursuit of excellence for your business, stop multitasking. At least, try not to do it for major tasks. No matter how much you think you’re good at it or you’ve gotten used to it, our brain is not meant to handle more than one task all the time.

According to the American Psychological Association, our mind is not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Forcing it can lead to mental overload and fatigue.

Imagine you’re creating a business proposal for two clients. You have a deadline to send them out within the hour. So what do you do? You try to do them both. You go back and forth in completing the proposal.

That may seem like you’re doing the task at the same time but what you’re actually doing is making your brain switch from one task to another. Every time you do the switch, your brain has to recondition itself for the other task. The more you switch, the more effort your brain exerts trying to change your mental settings. Admittedly, our brain is powerful enough to make the switch for less than a second - but imagine how tiring that is when done several times.

When the brain switches between tasks…

I read 2001 research done by Jeffrey Evans (PhD), David Meyer (PhD) and Joshua Rubinstein (PhD) about this. In their experiment, they found that every time our brain switches between tasks, it goes through two distinct stages. One stage is “goal shifting” wherein our brain decides to do one thing instead of another. The other stage is “rule activation” wherein our brain activates and deactivates rules to suit the task that has to be done. In their experiment, they found that the more switching happens, the more time it takes to go through these stages. Not only that, it also opens more room for error. Their findings also revealed that going from one task to another can cost productivity by up to 40%.

That’s the cost that you have to pay if you decide to multitask. We lose quality for the sake of quantity.

How Quality is Sacrificed for Quantity

The impact of multitasking goes beyond what you can quantify. You may be able to do the job and deliver the intended output but it will take a toll on your personal well-being and professional efficiency.

Let’s go through the real impact of multitasking on your productivity and work quality.

Lost time and efficiency

The same 2001 research I mentioned earlier gave evidence that multitasking makes you lose time and efficiency. When researchers made young adults go through challenges, it was obvious that the participants lost time as they switched from one task to another. As the task became more complex, the time lost increased as well. As you take more time to work on something, there’s the tendency to speed things up and cut corners to meet deadlines. This affects how efficiently you work. You don’t have much time to plan your work and just go through the motions.

More stress and frustration

When to speed through more than one task, it increases the chances of stress and frustration. Every mistake or setback will put more pressure on you. The focus is on the deadline and you have little patience for anything else.

The urgency of the tasks and the different requirements will pull you from all sides, and it can get overwhelming at times. This leads to frustration and increases the chances for mistakes to occur.

Negative mental health effects

What happens when you stretch a rubber band for a long time? It eventually breaks. Even if the band is not stretched to its full capacity, it soon becomes brittle and snaps. That’s what happens when you’re constantly multitasking.

You’re making your brain work more, and that can tire you out. It can take a toll on your mental health. You’re going to feel impatient and irritable - which can overflow to the rest of your team or employees.

Even if you finish the tasks you’ve been juggling, you’ll end up feeling drained and unable to appreciate what you’ve done.

Missed learning opportunities

In another study, multitasking experiments were conducted, and they revealed how it made the participants more susceptible to distractions. The need to focus on more than one task diminished their ability to filter the relevant from the irrelevant stimuli.

The result? Missed opportunities. You get to skip important details and miss a chance to learn something as you complete the task.

These are the real costs of multitasking. It might make you feel busy and accomplished, but the satisfaction won’t be the same.

Fortunately, there’s a better way for you to do your tasks and it’s more effective and efficient than multitasking.

Monotasking: The Power of Focus

Monotasking is the opposite of multitasking. Instead of trying to juggle more than one task, you’re choosing to focus on one. Although this may seem like a longer route for your to-do list, it’ll lead to better results.

You can save your brain from the unnecessary effort that comes with switching from one task to another. You’ll also have the luxury of focusing on just one problem at a time. This will give your mental abilities more room to explore, learn and grow from every task.

The question is, how can you implement monotasking? I’ve got a couple of tips that worked well with my clients - and I hope you can use these to get into the habit of monotasking.

Conduct Deep Focus sessions

Treat every task as a deep focus session. This means dedicating a specific time block to work on a single task without interruptions. Set a couple of hours each day and inform your team that you should not be interrupted unless it’s important. Go to a quiet place, specifically where you’re most productive and use this time to deeply focus on the task at hand. This concentration will allow you to progress significantly in a short amount of time.

Be Strict with Time Management

Time management is a must if you want to be productive. We only have a limited time each day so you need to be intentional with how you use it. My suggestion is to make a list of the important tasks you have to do for the day. Plan your day around those tasks and schedule them when you’re most creative and productive. For some people that could be in the morning while others thrive in the afternoon.

Create time blocks to fit in what has to be done for the day and be strict in sticking with it.

Learn to Prioritise and Delegate

As a leader, you need to learn how to prioritise and delegate tasks. As mentioned, we only have a limited time - which means we can’t do everything. Besides, not everything needs our attention immediately. Prioritise what’s important and urgent. You can also choose people on your team to delegate tasks. This will free you to focus on the high-value tasks that only you can do.

Practice Mindfulness

Finally, you need to get into the mindfulness habit. What does this mean? It means being completely present and immersed in the task before you. Give it your full attention. Admittedly, this will require practice because our brain tends to wander even as we try to concentrate. Train your brain to focus only on the present. Reduce the urge to switch tasks or indulge in impulsive thoughts.

Stop Losing by Focusing

As you can see, the cost of multitasking is too high. It’s not just the quality of work that you’re delivering, it’s also going to cost your mental health and well-being. That’s too great of a price to pay because it won’t even make you feel a sense of fulfillment.

Embrace the idea of monotasking to gain deep focus, time management and delegation skills. This will lead to better work quality and higher productivity. This will leave you with a deeper sense of accomplishment and expertise.

Do you want to know more about improving productivity and work quality in your business? Reach out to us so we can talk about taking your business to the next level. The more you work on your development, the better you can lead your business towards greater heights. Feel free to book a complimentary 15-minute call here: Book a Time with Trent.