Multitasking is the practice of performing two or more tasks simultaneously, switching back and forth from one thing to another, or performing two or more tasks in rapid succession. However, the human brain is limited in how much it can truly do at one time, and it is not designed to work on more than one task at a time. Multitasking can take a toll on productivity and brain health, and it can lead to a sharp increase in errors.
Here are some key points about multitasking:
- Multitasking is not as efficient as we think it is.
- The cognitive work of multitasking is significant, and it can tire out the brain and make it less efficient.
- Multitasking can make us more distractible and prone to errors.
- Doing more than one task at a time, especially more than one complex task, takes a toll on productivity.
- Although switch costs may be relatively small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks.
- The only time you can truly multitask is if one of the tasks is fully automated.
In summary, multitasking is the practice of performing two or more tasks simultaneously or switching back and forth from one task to another. However, the human brain is not designed to work on more than one task at a time, and multitasking can take a toll on productivity and brain health.
