Review of The Myth of Multitasking
By
Are you a multitasker? I am and I used to be really proud that I could juggle multiple projects at once but after reading Dave Crenshaw’s The Myth of Multitasking I am ready to turn in my Queen of Multitasking crown.
The first sign of multitasking is a desk with piles of paper on it. I like to call it organized chaos. I’m guessing that you know exactly what my desk looks like.
Multitasking is not efficient. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Department of Information and Computer Science at the University of California Irvine campus concluded that an employee can only devote 11 minutes to a task before they are interrupted. Once you are interrupted you are more likely to continue to be interrupted and more often than not the task will go unfinished until another day.Clearly, multitasking is not cost effective.
You might think that you are multitasking if you are checking your e-mail and answering a quick question from someone. Actually, what you are doing is called switchtasking. You are not actually doing two things at one time but rather you are switching back and forth between two tasks. The process happens so fast that you are not even aware that you are dong it.
Multitaksing should not be confused with background tasking. When you are walking and listening to music you are background tasking. You are performing two or more tasks but only one of those tasks requires mental effort.
When you multitask while talking to someone, you are not completely listening to the other person. If you are not completely listening you are not making the other person feel important.
What steps can you take to stop multitasking?
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Recognize that multitasking is a lie
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Understand the difference between backgrund tasking and switchtasking
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Become aware of the truth about how you have been using your time on a weekly basis
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Create a new and realistic budget for how you will use yout time on a weekly basis
The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
