Multi-tasking seems to be a great way to get multiple things done at once. Many people multitask, including me too. Individuals multi-task because they think that they can put many things in order or just simply to save time.
I was also one of many who used to think that way. But, let me tell you,” Multitasking is just a myth.” In actual you are not multi-tasking but messing up many things at a time. I was not aware of the ill effects of multi-tasking until my performance at studies faced a significant downfall.
As a student, there is a lot of pressure to complete byhearting, reading, and writing work. There is a lot of stuff to be done while attending school and coaching classes. I am also one of those students dealing with schools and coaching. In the haste to save time, I started reading the lessons and taking notes at the same time. In the beginning, I thought it was an excellent method and saved a lot of time. But I was wrong. With time this dual tasking killed my concentration levels and affected my memory.
What is multi-tasking?
Multi-tasking is the cooperative execution of multiple tasks over a while. New jobs can hinder already started ones before they dispatch, somewhat of anticipating for them to end. Naturally, doing many tasks at one time. For example, as I mentioned above, reading and taking notes at the same time, eating food and watching television, chatting on the phone, and talking to someone, or checking e-mails while attending a meeting.
A study conducted at Stanford University shows in what ways multitasking adds stress to life and how negativity impacts mood, motivation, and productivity.
Multi-tasking ……. The art of messing up several things at once.
6 Reasons to avoid multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking doesn’t only affect the quality of your work, but it affects your psychological and physical health also. It is like a disease that impacts you from mental to physical disorder. So, better from next time rather than taking pride in yourself as a juggler of multiple objectives, complete a single task at once with full focus and mind in one place.
1.It impacts your memory.
Research published in 2011 by the University of California shows, ‘How quickly shifting from one task to another impact short term memory.’ Doing many things at once stresses your brain and affects the way the information is stored. Multi-tasking can negatively affect your short term memory, which can affect your productivity and concentration.
Juggling multiple tasks at the moment, as so many people do in this technological era, can distribute attention and outrage learning and concentration. It can affect your working memory and temporary brain storage.
2. Increases your stress levels.
Multi-tasking demands exceed abilities. When exceed skills are required, stress is bound to follow. Especially when multi-tasking and all multiple jobs are of equal significance, it becomes much difficult. Studies show that the brain responds to impossible demands by pumping out adrenaline and other stress hormones. These hormones provide a quick burst of energy but in ready exhaustible amounts. It’s like an old scooter cannot cover 100 miles per hour no matter what it has as it’s fuel.
3. Decreases your productivity.
The game of multi-tasking is all like pandora’s box. Attractive from outside and evil from inside. You might feel multi-tasking alright in the beginning. The high-time when you will realize that multi-tasking is not worth it is when your productivity levels will go down.
Follow one rule: One brain, one task. You have got only one mind, so engage that brain in only one task at a time. The more tasks you will do, the more prone you are to the mistakes. It’s like a number of tasks equal to a number of errors. Your concentration will be distributed among multiple tasks, and in that way, you will not be able to accomplish anything wisely. And you know to lower the levels of concentration reduce productivity. Multitasking decreases productivity levels by 40%. Mathematically,
Concentration is directly proportional to productivity.
4. Your quality of work may suffer.
Your quality of work will have to endure much in the long term. Because of multi-tasking, you will not be able to accomplish tasks in the way it is meant to be. Research shows that while multi-tasking troubleshoots ability of mind declines at a high range.
Multiple tasks, lack of time, lower concentration, and a decrease in productivity will naturally make your work quality miserable. And poor work quality may decrease your life quality too.
5. Emotional intelligence skills are affected.
A research survey conducted shows that high multi-taskers had less brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region responsible for empathy as well as cognitive and emotional control. Self and social awareness skills are interlinked with emotional intelligence. Both these skills are very significant for success at professional and social levels. Multi-tasking at the professional level and social gatherings is the indicator of low self and social awareness. In this way, multitasking affects your emotional intelligence skills.
So, next time, while in a meeting or social gathering, stop peeping in your cell phone to check social media. Make eye to eye contact with the front person and speak confidently.
6. Creativity is inhibited.
The Prefrontal lobe of the brain is responsible for creative ideas and innovation. However, it, too, has a specific limit. The prefrontal lobe can bring only one idea at a time. However, stress due to multi-tasking or any other circumstances can expose you to additional burdens. These additional burdens, in turn, affect your prefrontal lobe.
Undesirable changes in the prefrontal lobe decline the thinking process. The decline in the thinking process inhibits creativity, which hinders innovation.