Are you also tired of multitasking?
Here are some good reasons to unapologetically decrease it.
I have always had a difficulty with multitasking. As one who tends to hyperfocus, I specifically find it challenging to switch my attention from one task to another, as quickly and as often as it has been required in certain settings. Although hyperfocus comes with some benefits, it can also lead to a variety of difficulties, including some cognitive ones: for example ability to multitask.
Today, multitasking has become somewhat of a badge of honor. We pride ourselves when juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, believing it makes us more efficient. It seems that we have also linked the ability to multitask, to higher levels of intelligence.
However, research tells a different story:
🧠 Cognitive Overload: Multitasking can lead to cognitive overload, where our attention becomes fragmented, reducing the overall efficiency and quality of our brain process. It is shown that when we multitask, we lose a big part of the information we are processing, as we are reducing every piece of information to the smallest possible unit to fit as much data as possible. All in the same small processing temporal window. As you can imagine, the part of the data that will be lost vs the part of the data that will remain is often automated, and very susceptible to error. This leads me to:
💡 Quality over Quantity: When we focus on one task at a time, we can devote our full attention and energy to it. We can access information relevant to that task, in a more informed way, get a better understanding of what it entails, how to best use it, and eventually...
🚀 Boost our Productivity: especially if this includes creative thinking and innovation.
🌱 Mindful Presence: I find the contrast between multitasking and (mindfulness) meditation an interesting one: although these represent the exact opposite cognitive practices, they are both idealized and very much encouraged in today's world. Whereas multitasking is about fitting as much data in each of our processing windows, meditation teaches us to focus on nothing... except our breath (at least a big part of meditation teachings). I am suspicious of why that is, but curious to hear your thoughts.
How do you think the above connects to the reasons why we are so encouraged to be productive and to do as many tasks as possible in the smallest possible amount of time?
I believe that ultimately, the goal is not just to be productive, but to thrive in all aspects of our lives, prioritize our well-being, and be given the right means to contribute to society in the ways that we are best at. We can do that by cultivating a culture of presence and purpose in both our personal and professional lives.
Let's make a conscious effort to prioritize focus over frenzy, and mindfulness over multitasking 💪
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