There’s a fierce debate going on this morning. And it has nothing to do with Obamacare, Town Hall Meetings, or Glenn Beck’s comments on racism.
It’s about multitasking.
If you frequent this blog, you’ve likely heard me state that multitasking reduces your focus, impacts your productivity, and limits you in a variety of ways.
Well, this morning I made a Facebook update summarizing that thought, and I soon received some comments along the lines of “not me” and “it depends on the tasks…”
So first let’s tackle the “not me” claim. I’m no brain surgeon, but Dr. Earl Miller is:
“People can’t multitask very well, and when people say they can, they’re deluding themselves,” said neuroscientist Earl Miller. And, he said, “The brain is very good at deluding itself.” –from NPR’s “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again”.
For the record: I’m not calling you delusional. Dr. Miller is.
If you have more than just a passing fancy on this topic, be sure to read the second half of that article about the MRI testing performed during multitasking and task-switching exercises. Interesting stuff.
Last week Wired reported on a study that will use brain imaging to study the neurology of multitasking:
In several benchmark tests of focus, college students who routinely juggle many flows of information, bouncing from e-mail to web text to video to chat to phone calls, fared significantly worse than their low-multitasking peers.
And as for the “it depends on the tasks…” line of thinking: I’m not talking about brushing your teeth and watching TV simultaneously. It’s more like, reading email while talking on the phone. Or writing a proposal while checking for text messages. Reviewing client notes while driving. That kind of stuff. I’m committed to helping entrepreneurs understand that they can get more done by successfully fighting their propensity to try and get more done all at once.
[But regarding the brushing teeth/TV combination....the neurosurgeons I've been following would likely argue that your dental results still wouldn't be as stellar as they could be. But I agree that if your goal is acceptable dental results instead of optimal dental results, go ahead and brush while channel surfing.]
If you’re not convinced that increasing your focus and decreasing your multitasking ways will improve your productivity and create better results for you, then I’d really like to hear from you. But be warned that I may request that you submit a personal brain scan image to support your claims….
