The Harm of Multitasking - Wongani’s Wellness Tip of the Week

Multitask. A term which didn’t even exist before the mid-sixties, is now seen as a highly-admired skill. But should it be? The word “multitask” was first used to describe a new computer system in a 1965 IBM paper, but we humans are not computers. The University of Utah did a study which showed only 2% of people have the capability to multitask. In other words, multitasking showed no ill effects on this small amount of people. Multitasking may seem to be the more efficient way to get tasks done, but in reality, it produces higher error rate, increases stress levels, and decreases overall production. Most of our multitasking stems from constant interruption by our phones. Most of us are constantly checking and responding to emails, text messages, and social media alerts. A study done at Hewlett Packard, a computing firm, revealed a 10 point drop in IQ of workers who were distracted by excessive technology use. These effects on the mind are similar to losing a full night of sleep and are twice as harmful as smoking marijuana.

It’s easy to think we are good multitaskers, but we don’t really multitask. We switch-task. We rapidly shift from one thing to another, interrupting our productivity and losing time in the process. Research has shown that heavy multitaskers are less competent at performing multiple tasks at once than light multitaskers. In this case, practice does not make perfect. Heavy multitaskers also tend to have less density in areas of the brain that are responsible for empathy and emotional control. Habitual multitaskers often have less gray matter in their brains, which is linked to anxiety, depression, and impulse control.

5 Ways to Improve

1. Turn things off. Remove push notifications on apps or take time away from devices all together.
2. Do not check email or social media first thing in the morning or right before bed. Doing these things in the morning derails our priorities for the day. Doing these things at night causes insomnia. 
3. Try to finish your most important task in the morning before checking emails, social media, or returning phone calls and text messages.
4. Physically shift. Get up and move before moving on to a new task.
5. Create short deadlines for yourself. There’s nothing like a deadline to keep us moving. 
• Try the Pomodoro Technique: pick a task, remove all distractions, and set a timer for 25 minutes. This will help rewire your brain to block out distractions and increase your focus for extended periods of time.