People talk about multi-tasking like it was a thing of beauty. Employers list multi-tasking as one of their top requirements when they post online jobs. Job seekers hype the fact that they are experts at simultaneously performing multiple tasks. And yet, if you really think about it, multi-tasking is just another reason why too many employees make mistakes.
Can Anyone Multi-Task Efficiently?
Matt Owens, supervisor for a group of customer call reps for a large insurance company, regularly warns his employees against doing too many things at once. The problem he find is that the younger team members refuse to listen. “They think they can multi-task – IM with their friends, talk to customers and surf the internet all at the same time. They don’t get that it’s better to do one thing well than to do several things half way,” he explains with a smile and a shake of his head.
What Matt and most other people don’t realize is that human beings aren’t really wired to multi-task. According to the July 15, 2009 Scientific American article, “The Myth of Multitasking,” the human brain isn’t built to handle the type of parallel processing that is required for multi-tasking.
The concept of parallel processing is generally relegated to computers. The online Encarta New World Dictionary defines it as “the use of two or more processors to run different parts of the same computer program concurrently and merge the results, with significantly faster program execution.”
For humans, parallel processing would be the equivalent of having two brains and focusing them on different tasks at the same time. Unfortunately, humans weren’t blessed with more than one brain, so trying to focus our attention on multiple projects in order to efficiently multi-task doesn’t work out.
Shifting Focus at Lightening Speed
The good news is that while humans don’t have the ability to multi-task the way computers can, what many people are capable of doing is thinking faster.
Talk to the experts, like those cited by Jon Hamilton in his October 2, 2008 National Public Radio (NPR.org) article, “ Think You're Multitasking? Think Again,” and it is apparent that what most humans perceive as multi-tasking is merely the human ability to “shift our focus from one thing to the next with astonishing speed.”
In the NPR article (Hamilton, October 2, 2008) they consider the case of the short-order cook who is responsible for retaining multiple orders and executing the same quickly and accurately. And while it is not easy to do, it doesn’t make it multi-tasking. It is merely switching from task to task in rapid succession; which, by the way, is still a handy skill.
Developing New Skills to Work Faster
One of the reasons it is difficult for people to pat their head and rub their stomach at the same time is because they are asking their brain to split attention between two tasks. And while some people are capable of doing it for a brief period, no one can sustain it for very long.
The brain, however, is a muscle and just like muscles people use for weight training or running it can be trained. And just like physical training the way to improve muscle function and speed is through practice – guitar, writing, math, language -- wherever someone’s interests lie. Muscles also benefit when people get sufficient amounts of rest and eat a well-balanced diet.
The fact is that multi-tasking is a fallacy. While it is possible for people to learn to handle many tasks in succession, and to perform them quickly, they cannot split their attention in order to multi-task.
Sources:
- Encarta New World Dictionary. Accessed April12, 2011.
- Hamilton, Jon. "Think Your Multitasking? Think Again," National Public Radio, October 2, 2008. Accessed April 12, 2011.
- Owens, Matt. Personal phone interview. April 12, 2011.
- Scientific American. "The Myth of Multitasking," July 15, 2009. Accessed April 12, 2011.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
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