» Want to be a Multitasker?

Multitasking can work, but only if you choose the right combination of activities

According to a recent study many people who multitask lack the skills needed to do it effectively.

The study looked specifically at people who multitask in terms of media use – those who choose to read email, watch television, engage in online chat, play online games, read news feeds and the like – all, or several, at the same time.

To find out how good they were at multitasking they were tested in a number of exercises related to memory and filtering out trivia, tasks that have been deemed important for multitasking, and their results compared to those of a group of non-multitaskers.

Those who didn’t engage in this type of media multitasking consistently scored better in the tests, suggesting that their ability to multitask is greater than those who actually do it.

All the multitasking activities seem to be of a similar type: taking in, processing and responding to information, whether this is from pictures, words, sounds or a combination of these. It seems obvious that if you’re jumping from one source of information input to another you’re less likely to retain everything accurately. And as you can only focus on one thought at a time, each time you focus on something new you inevitably lose focus on other things.

Just try thinking about 2 different things at once: what you want to eat tonight and where you want to go for your next vacation, for example, and you’ll understand what I mean. It’s not possible to think about them both at exactly the same time.

And if you’re browsing across several media at once you’re less likely to spot what is trivial than if you’re concentrating on one thing. So you collect more information than you might need.

Or think about how you revise for an exam. You may only spend half hour or so on a particular subject, but while you’re studying history that’s what you do: study history. You don’t suddenly jump to geography or math; you stick with one subject, maybe going over things a few times to make sure you’ve understood. To retain the information you need to give it your undivided attention.

And that’s what these multitaskers don’t do as they flit around the airwaves and the ether.

The researchers now want to find out whether the activity dumbs down the skills: were these people better at retaining things and spotting trivia before they got hooked on their multi-streamed information feed? Or maybe they’ll just find that some people are naturally better at juggling several activities than others.

When I think of multitasking I don’t think of people trying to juggle several different media inputs at the same time. I think of someone making the dinner, ironing the week’s laundry, and watching the television. Three very different tasks that require different skills and that can be done simultaneously.

At different times each requires the full focus of attention: when the casserole needs checking or a there’s a tricky bit to negotiate on a garment for instance. But at other times each activity can go on ‘autopilot’ for a while, getting less attention while you’re still aware of it in the background.

Think of any busy parent and you’ll see a successful multitasker in action. But you’ll also see clear evidence that the more tasks someone tries to handle at one time, the less successful they’re likely to be. Especially where these tasks make demands on the same skills at the same time. Whether it’s trying to think about 3 different things or perform 2 different practical tasks it just doesn’t work.

So how can you be an effective multitasker?

Combine activities that need different skills, not the same ones

Combine activities that need attention at different times, not all at once

Make use of ‘helpers’ such as checklists and automatic timers

Don’t try to juggle too much: do 2 things well rather than 3 things badly

Don’t try to multitask something that needs your undivided attention

Don’t try to multitask all the time – give yourself a break

Avoid multitasking when you’re dealing with people: make sure they get your full attention. Feeling that you’re just one of several balls being juggled does no-one’s self esteem any good.

And always avoid that most dangerous of all multitasking: using a cell phone while you’re driving. If you’re using a hands-free cell phone your hands may both be on the wheel, but only part of your mind is concentrating on the road. And it’s your mind that reacts to situations and tells your hands and feet what to do with the brakes and steering wheels….