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MUFFLED PROTEST OF MISGUIDED YET WELL-INTENTIONED DIE-HARD TASK-SWITCHERS
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MY POLITE, YET FIRM RESPONSE, SUPPORTED BY MORE FIGURES THAN A PARISIAN FASHION SHOW
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YOUR OWN DAZZLING, EDGY REPLY THAT FAR OUTPACES MINE IN SHEER BRILLIANCE
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“It is 11:15 a.m. and I have two deadlines at noon. I can’t do one at a time.”
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It is only humanly possible to do one thing at a time. Task-switching is the antithesis of concentration—making you less likely to meet either deadline with satisfactory results.
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“Making others wait to be accommodated is rude and selfish.”
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Multitasking rather than focusing on the person in front of you is rude and disrespectful of their time.
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“I am being productive by responding to emails during a boring, irrelevant, mandatory meeting.”
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Studies show you will be perceived, particularly by senior executives, as lacking willpower and self-control.
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“I get a hundred messages a day. I have to multitask!”
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The only way to efficiently handle numerous demands is to pay attention to one at a time.
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“It is efficient to whip off a quick reply to an instant message while on a conference call—one less thing to do later.”
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This is how haphazard mistakes are made, not to mention losing credibility through trite responses to instant messages or being unable to answer a question because you weren’t listening.
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“It’s ridiculous to say I can’t multitask. I can listen to music and exercise even harder.”
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The brain can process two tasks when one or both do not require your conscious thought. This does not fall under the definition of multitasking.
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“You must multitask. With all you do, it’s impossible to singletask and get it all done.”
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I can’t do more than one thing at a time and neither can you. Singletasking is the only way to get it all done.
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“A certain amount of multitasking is expected of us in our jobs.”
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Actually, being a productive, effective professional is expected of you.
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“You can’t get full engagement at team meetings. Partial attention is the way of the future.”
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Partial attention contributes to a lack of team cohesion and an inability to achieve collective outcomes.
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“Young people can multitask well.”
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We are all hardwired to singletask. Age makes no difference.
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“I can multitask and still focus on everything I’m doing.”
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So-called multitasking makes you distracted, resulting in being partially present in your tasks and for other people
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“People know multitasking can be counterproductive.”
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Few people recognize the negative toll of multitasking.
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“I don’t want to be so intently engrossed in tasks that I’m spaced out or oblivious to the world around me.”
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An equivalent concern is saying, “I don’t want to exercise for fear I will become too fit.” That is the least of your worries, and seems like an excuse to sit around. If your highly skilled singletasking puts you at risk of, say, entirely losing track of time, set an alarm for a predetermined end time.1
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Singletasking saves time, increases efficiency, and improves relationships.