Multitasking?

bydigitalwisdo

1.5K followers

8 years ago

Current neuroscience research informs us that the mind does not really do tasks all at once, as we believed (hoped) it might. Actually, we simply switch tasks promptly. Each time we relocate from listening to songs to creating a message or speaking to somebody, there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain.

That start/stop/start procedure is rough on us: instead of saving time, it costs time (also really little mini secs), it's much less reliable, we make even more blunders, and over time it can be power sapping.

Still do not believe me?

Take a tiny examination that I learned lately in a workshop regarding mindfulness, supplied by the Potential Project, a team based out of Denmark. Here's the test:

Draw two straight lines on a paper

Currently, have a person time you as you carry out both jobs that comply with:

On the very first line, compose:

I am a terrific multitasker

On the second line: write out the numbers 1-20 sequentially, like those below:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

How much time did it require to do both jobs? Generally it's around 20 secs.

Now, multitask.

Draw 2 more horizontal lines. This time, as well as once more have somebody time you, write a letter on one line, then a number on the line listed below, after that the following letter in the sentence on the upper line, then the next number in the series, changing from line to line. Simply puts, you create the letter "I" then the number "1" and afterwards the letter "a" and afterwards the number "2" and so on, till you full both lines.

I a. ... 1 2 ... I'll bet you your time is double or a lot more what it got on the preliminary. You also may have made some errors as well as you were most likely irritated given that you needed to "reassess" exactly what the next letter would be then the next number.

That's switch-tasking on something extremely easy, but that's exactly just what takes place when we attempt to do several things (commonly extra complicated) at the same time.

So next time you believe you're multi-tasking, quit and be aware that you are actually switch-tasking. Then give yourself a time frame (10 minutes, 45 minutes?) as well as concentrate on simply one job as well as see if you cannot complete it much better, much faster, as well as with less power.

"Just Go!" Don't Stop.