BLUF

Monotasking may be better for our health and may also improve productivity and safety.

Summary

There is no such thing as multitasking. We switch between tasks,

completing or half-completing these tasks and then moving on. Multitasking can lead to stress. Being able to handle ‘everything on my plate’ may seem to demonstrate competence, but instead, it may show we are no longer consciously focused on what we are doing. Our brains are only able to process a limited amount of information at a given time. The advantages of not multitasking are:

  • Less Congested Neural Pathways.
  • More likely to complete higher priority tasks rather than completing a lot of simpler tasks.
  • Less bias (from previous historical decisions) and interruptions.
  • Slower thinking is generally more productive.

 Monotasking (one thing at a time) can be achieved as follows:

  • List a daily top two priorities. 
  • Block time on your calendar.
  • Block social media.
  • Stop instantly responding to messages.

Consider how monotasking might make you more productive at work.

Learn more about recent research on multi-tasking.

References