No, You Really Can't Multitask
I’ve been told that women are famous for it. I’ve been told this ability has no rival. Moms have mastered it, and men only wished they could do it. In fact, it’s more than a simple ability or skill. It’s a genetic trait. It’s been studied by researchers for centuries, yet we know little about it. While women are born with it, it does need to be mastered. And once mastery is achieved, she is exalted into a different stratosphere among her peers. Some guys will argue they have similar skills, but the reality is they are just fooling themselves.
What is this skill? Multitasking.
While I am, of course, creating a fictional scenario, there is some truth to the idea. Many people pride themselves on their perceived ability to multitask. But the reality of what our brains can handle is far different. Despite the social status it may bring, no, you cannot really multitask. Your brain is actually “other-tasking.” The myth of multitasking is actually our brains rapidly jumping from one activity to another or quickly changing focus between tasks.
What we believe to be a valuable tool to increase productivity instead reduces comprehension levels, productivity, and performance. In other words, you might be able to do a bunch of things at once (well, kind of), but you won’t do any of those things well. Attempting to successfully multitask can harm our overall mental health. It can create more anxiety, hamper the ability to focus appropriately, and even lead to greater degrees of impulsive behavior. All of which is made worse by the attention we pay to social media.
Bottom line: The myth of multitasking has dire consequences for the health and well-being of our mental state of mind.
The real skill is deep-focused attention. It’s actually what we were designed to do. Yet, we are fed daily our bite-sized doses of social media posts, and we are told these short ads, posts, videos, and comments are all catering to the way we learn best. But what scientists are finding is when we are deeply focused and committed to just one thing, our brain function increases, we learn faster, and improve our memory.
So here is the challenge. First, don’t worry so much about multitasking and begin to develop the skill of deep focused thought and attention to one task at a time. Second, spend time in reflective thought or practicing mindfulness. Basically, it’s developing the ability to be aware and active in our own thoughts and control them. Finally, limit your distractions. This includes social media, apps on your phone, or even friends hanging around when you need to concentrate. If you have a hard time at first, try just focusing on one thing for twenty minutes. Then take a break and decide if you want to continue for twenty more or change it up.
You will notice, over time, you will begin to think better, control your attitudes, and regulate your emotions. Overall, it will improve your mental health.
Challenges/Points:
Many think multitasking is an essential skill that ought to be mastered.
Yet multitasking is really other-tasking--our brains racing from one thing to another.
The real skill is deep-focused attention. It is how our brains are designed, and it’s healthier for our minds.
Questions:
Do you consider yourself a multitasker? If so, how many things would you say you can do at once?
Do you have a hard time focusing on just one thing?
What do you think it would look like to spend twenty minutes of focused attention on just one of those things?
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