The Myth of Multitasking

I'm honored today to be the first stop on Dave Crenshaw's Blog Book Tour to promote his new book, The Myth of Multitasking:  How "Doing It All" Gets Nothing Done. Dave is a productivity and business coach and the founder of two innovative coaching programs, Time Gym and Fresh Juice Strategy.

Dave's book, which is available in stores beginning today, August 18th, is a wealth of information for busy, overwhelmed, time-strapped people told in an easy-to-digest story form. I read this book cover-to-cover in one afternoon at the pool, and came away with a totally different perspective on what I really need to do to accomplish my goal of getting more done every day.  For quite some time now I've belonged to the school of thought that multitasking is not an effective productivity strategy.  And Dave not only confirms this, but clearly illustrates how multitasking actually wastes our precious time. He coins the terms "switchtasking," which offers a fresh approach and theory that can't easily be ignored.

Dave was gracious enough to answer some questions about his book, the theories and solutions he suggests within his story, and his views on productivity in an ever-evolving and fast-past technological world:

1. The abundance of technology available these days makes multitasking virtually unavoidable, and seemingly necessary.  What led, you to write about the subject of multitasking from a negative point of view?

I began my business career working with entrepreneurs and small business owners. I saw a consistent pattern of behavior in these entrepreneurs, myself included. As a group, we found it difficult to follow through on things that we needed to do, and we were always starved for time. I noticed that one of the most common characteristics of entrepreneurs is that they have the tendency to jump from task to task and even from business to business. This book contains combinations of stories from executives and business owners that I have worked with over the years and the solutions I developed to help them.

2. I've posted before about time management and the time-consuming dangers of multitasking, and I've always discouraged my clients from trying to accomplishment too many things at once, lest they get nothing done correctly.  But for those who swear by multitasking, can you explain why is it a waste of time?  By it's very name one would assume it's a great time management tool?

I like to use an economics and finance term to describe the waste of time; the term is switching cost. Switching cost usually refers to the cost and time and money of switching from one provider to another. In the case of multitasking, people feel that they are doing multiple things at the same time, but they are not. The brain is incapable of focusing on multiple tasks as the same time. When people attempt to multitask, what they are really doing is switching rapidly back and forth between tasks. Because of this, I prefer to refer to multitasking as switchtasking. It is because of these switches that people lose time in the switching cost. In this way, switchtasking causes us to be exponentially less productive.

3. Does multitasking ever work?  I've talked to many people, mostly women, who claim they couldn't accomplish all that they do everyday if it were not for their ability to multitask.  They view it as a highly desirable skill, both at work and at home.

Along with re‐defining multitasking as switchtasking, I like to point out that there is background tasking, as well. Background tasking is when you do something mindless and mundane in the background. Examples of background tasking include starting your copying machine on a large print job while you answer email or watching TV and exercising at the same time. Background tasking is actually a fairly efficient way to operate. However, when most people refer to multitasking, they are referring to doing two or more things at the same time that require simultaneous attention, such as answering the email and talking on the phone at the same time, or surfing the Internet and having a conversation with a co‐worker at the same time. This is switchtasking and is always less efficient.

4. Has technology contributed negatively or positively to our need to multitask?

Technology isn't the culprit. It is our lack of understanding of how to use and deal with the technology that we have that is the problem. In a sense, technology has evolved rapidly, but we as the users, have evolved slowly. We are dealing with productivity and time management issues that didn't even exist twenty years ago. This requires learning a whole new set of skills and a completely different mindset on how we approach using technology. It is important for us to remember that technology is the servant and we are its masters. We do have the ability to turn off our cell phone or to turn off email or text message notifications on our computer. Amazingly, most people don't realize that.

5. Are there any groups that are more affected by multitasking than by others?

Business owners, CEOs, and entrepreneurs are probably the most effected group when it comes to multitasking. This is because as a group, they wear many different hats. Because of this, they have a higher likelihood of switching back and forth between these tasks or switchtasking. Another group that I see affected strongly by multitasking are sales reps. Sales reps actually are unique case because typically they are high energy individuals and have the tendency to jump around from task to task.
Of course, one large group that I have seen strongly affected by the myth of multitasking are women, particularly because women are faced with many different challenges at the same time, especially if they are trying to juggle work and family together.

6. I loved the way you turned this self-help book into fable. It was an easy read, yet packed with tons of explanation and tips.  Why did you choose a fable format to talk about multitasking instead of a more traditional format?

Through the years as a business coach, I’ve found it that people to learn best through example and hands‐on participation. The book actually combines both of those methods by providing an example in a story format and providing participation through worksheets and activities throughout the book. However, while the book is filled with many stories told from a fictional perspective, these stories come from real people I have worked with through the years. Also, The Myth of Multitasking cites a great deal of academic research that backs up the examples in the book. These resources are listed in the bibliography, and are quoted throughout the book.

7. I know multitasking is inefficient, but come on, aren't women really better multitaskers than men? And busy teenagers? Don't they have an advantage in this area?

The inefficiency of multitasking or switchtasking is true regardless of gender or age. Part of the myth of multitasking is that women can multitask and men cannot, when in fact the research doesn't substantiate this. While women do have a higher likelihood of looking at problems holistically and men seem to be more single‐minded, this doesn't address the issue of a lack of productivity when someone engages in multitasking. When you switch back and forth between tasks, no matter how fast you do it, you are losing time in the transition. So when someone says that they are a "good multitasker," what they are really saying is that they are very good at doing things in a less efficient way.

8. What tips can you offer to help overcome multitasking?

Take control over technology ‐ Your cell phone ringer (even on vibrate) doesn’t need to be on all the time. You can turn off email notification on your computer as well. Become master over the nagging beeps and buzzes by creating some silence.

Schedule what you can schedule ‐ Set regular times in the day and week to check your voicemail and email. Let others know that you will be using that schedule so they know when to expect a reply.

Focus on the person ‐ When you switchtask when dealing with a computer, you simply lose efficiency. But if you switchtask on a human being, you additionally damage a relationship. Be present, listen carefully, and make sure everything has been taken care of before moving on.

I share other tips about productivity and time management with readers of my e‐zine twice a month at
davecrenshaw.com.

9. How does multitasking affect our personal and business relationships?

Perhaps the greatest damage that comes from multitasking can be seen in the impact that it has in our relationship with others. If you want to be less productive on your own terms through multitasking with surfing the Internet and answering email and jumping around from item to item within your office, you are going to hurt your productivity. But when you switchtask on a human being, they will be able to tell every single time. People know the difference between someone who is giving them their full attention and someone who is giving partial attention. Everyone knows what it is like to talk to someone who isn't paying attention to them. It is very hurtful to the relationship especially if it is continued over a long period of time. On the other hand, consider the people that you have talked to that you know are focused on you and are going to give you 100% attention. That is a very powerful statement in a
world right now that seems to be suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder.

Thanks, Dave, for sharing your new  book and your thought-provoking insight into multi-, I mean SWITCHtasking.

If any Virtually Organized readers have additional questions for Dave, please leave a comment below and I'll be sure to pass them along and get you some answers. In the mean time, make sure to run out a get a copy of the Myth of Multitasking, available both in stores and online at Amazon.com: 

The Myth of Multitasking: How "Doing It All" Gets Nothing Done

Simply yours,

Comments

[Dave Crenshaw]

Hi, Debbie

Thank you for the wonderful post and for helping spread the word that multitasking is a myth. The more people who hear this message, the better balance we'll have in our work and personal lives.

I'll certainly be glad to respond to questions from your readers.

All the best,
Dave Crenshaw

[your own cell store]

Hi,
This is very interesting post.
The usage of multitasking is depicted clearly.
The questions put forth by the author and the way he answers is very interesting and informative.

[Julie]

What a brilliant post. I'm definitely going to get hold of this book. I've been conning myself I'm the big cheese of multitasking but reading this it accounts for the stresses I've been feeling recently. Thanks for sharing this. JT