5 Reasons Multitasking is Hindering Your Productivity
Most of us have indulged in doing many tasks simultaneously. It could be in the morning when you are trying to get things done before rushing to work or in the evening. Multitasking is a huge part of our lives today. It could be making a phone call while on your way to work or eating while also surfing or watching your favorite shows. You might think you are saving a lot of time by multitasking. However, research shows that it reduces efficiency and impacts your productivity. You also waste precious time switching from one task to the other.
Exhausts Your Energy Levels
Your brain works differently; it is not a machine; therefore, the process of switching between tasks is not as simple as turning your computer on and off. The human brain is not designed to switch back and forth between activities, so you not only waste time but also dissipate your energy.
Multitasking causes mental blocks that decrease your production by 40%. You may be able to physically adjust when multitasking; however, the same cannot be said about your brain. It is, therefore, better if you focus all your energy on one task before moving on to the other.. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Impairs Your Creativity
Since creativity is achieved through extended concentration, backtracking, and switching tasks hinders your innovation and creativity. You will not get enough time to channel your focus into coming up with an original idea or solution to a problem. Developing a habit of regularly handling many tasks at once will affect your dedication to essential projects.
You miss out on extraordinary ideas by engaging your mind in many tasks as you waste your creative juices. Running many functions at a go needs plenty of working memory and the ability to focus and direct your attention to a particular task. Excessive focus interferes with your creativity as it hinders the imagination and thinking required to generate innovative ideas.
Leads to More Errors
You may be able to watch TV while folding laundry without making any mess. However, when it comes to handling more complex things like operating machinery, multitasking is not a great idea as you are prone to make serious mistakes. Multitasking interferes with the attention needed to carry out various activities.
It gets worse if you are learning a new skill or absorbing more knowledge. To increase your retention, you have to give undivided attention to the activity.
Your judgment and performance are also affected by multitasking. For example, you are more likely to burn your food if you decide to cook while making a phone call than if you give cooking your undivided attention.
Causes Stress and Anxiety
Your email may be making you anxious, stressed, and less productive. Research shows that people who do not have constant access to their emails are less stressed as they are compelled to multitask. They can focus on one activity without continually responding to new emails.
Brain scans taken of people who multitask a lot show that their brains have less grey matter. Anxiety, poor impulse control, and depression are significantly linked to minimal grey matter. It is worth noting that stress is not only caused by multitasking at work, engaging in many fun activities at once may also lead to depression and anxiety.
Minimizes your emotional intelligence
The top performers in any field are emotionally intelligent. This is a quality that is not only important for making a wise decision; it also improves your productivity. However, research shows that juggling tasks when handling intellectual activities leads to a decline in your IQ.
Social and self-awareness are skills that are required to attain success both at work or socially. However, multitasking is an indicator of low awareness of self and society.
Multitasking interferes with the part of the brain responsible for emotional and cognitive control. Therefore, multitasking reduces your emotional quotient (EQ) and also leads to negative relationships with your colleagues.
For the sake of your productivity and general well-being, it might be better to avoid multitasking.