During debate class in college, we were often required to debate one side of an issue...and then switch and debate the other side of the same issue. Fortunately, we were only required to take one side at a time rather than multitasking and taking both sides simultaneously (Ha, ha...I thought I'd take one last shot at multitaskers before I switch to the other side of this issue).
The other day, I wrote a thinly disguised attack on multitasking and multitaskers. The exercise I included in the article was my attempt to help excessive multitaskers figure out that switching back and forth was not a good idea if you want to maximize productivity. Today, I will take the other side and tell you why it is not only okay, but at times a good idea, to multitask. Please allow me to put the semantics debate on hold for a moment and use the word "multitasking" with the understanding that, yeah, it really means a person is rapidly switching back and forth from task to task rather than actually doing several things simultaneously.
Multitasking bashers like to bring up the significant cost, in terms of lost productivity, that goes along with switching your attention back and forth from one thing to another. My response is...so what? Evaluating and executing trade-offs is a normal part of life. And making a commitment to never, ever multitask can be just as counter-productive as constantly multitasking. I suspect if you encounter a person who swears they never multitask (which, by the way, is just as impossible as always multitasking from a neurological point of view, especially if you consider reptilian brain activity), they would be an incredibly irritating person! Let's say you approach them and, for whatever reason, you genuinely need their attention. If they truly never multitask, they would totally ignore you and not acknowledge your existence. In this case, you might say, "Hey, I need to talk with you. What's the matter, are you a one-trick pony? Can't you multitask like the rest of us?" This might provoke them to turn toward you, raise their eyebrows, look at you over the top of their glasses, put their hands on their hips, launch a mini-lecture on the evils of multitasking and say...in a sing-song voice, "You know, there is really no such thing as multitasking. The thalamus and thalamic reticular nucleus won't let you multitask!" And your response to such a lecture can probably be summed up in one of two words...the words "jerk" or "jackass." Now that I think about it, there are many words that probably describe a pathological unitasker. Anyhow, if the unitasker fell for your cleverly crafted NIGYSOB trap and diverted their attention from what they were doing to give you a lecture, you would have full "nah...nah, nah...nah...nah" and "stick out your tongue" rights if you chose to respond to their lecture. You might say, "Ha, ha...I made you multitask!"
My suggestion is that you take an Ecclesiastes 3:1 approach to multitasking (even if your particular brand of religion dictates that you seek guidance from other sources of wisdom and information). What is the cost of a lost friendship or failed relationship? How does the cost of being a jackass to people who genuinely need your attention compare to any potential productivity gain? Thou should thinketh about that shouldth thou not? Whoa...I'm beginning to get a bit preachy here, aren't I? Sorry about that.
Here's my bottom-line advice:
- Block out a reasonable amount of time each day to unitask. During that time, focus on the 20 percent of your efforts that create 80 percent of your results. If you can manage to do this at the same time most days, people who rely on you will quickly get used to it and respect your need for some daily focus time. If you've read chapter 9 of my book Getting Organized
, you know that I recommend at least 96 minutes of focus time each working day.
- Do what feels natural for the rest of the day...including switching back and forth from task to task if you feel like doing so...and don't feel guilty about it!
- If you choose to engage in an interaction with another human being, switch to the ultimate-unitasking mode - get focused and give them your undivided attention. Here are a few ideas to help you practice this: Imagine you just happen to be promoting a new self-help product and you run into Oprah and she says, Hey, have you got a minute?" Imagine you are a professional investor and Warren Buffet says, "You know what I would do with some extra money right now?" Imagine you suddenly hear the voice of E.F. Hutton (ask an old person if you don't get this or click here).
The key issue is to maintain a reasonable sense of balance between multitasking and unitasking. Balance...that's almost always the best strategy in the long run. Reasonable multitasking facilitates healthy human relationships. Reasonable unitasking facilitates healthy productivity. Taking a hard-line position and saying you absolutely love one or the other the most is like Bill Henrickson saying he loves Barb, Nicki or Margene the most. It's not a good idea!
Chris Crouch, president of DME Training and Consulting, has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive. His new book, Being Productive: Learning to Get More Done With Less Effort, is now available through Amazon
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