I'll start this off by admitting my flaws. I am a multitasker in recovery. I have been multitasking free for 6 hours. Perhaps we start a support group called Multitaskers Anonymous? Although I have yet to fully kick the habit, when I am attempting to multitask, I am consciously aware of my decision. Awareness and acceptance. Does this mean I am on the right path?
I know multitasking is not useful and yet it is so deeply engrained in my habits. Multitasking was a term first used by IBM in the 1960's to describe computers. The term started to be used for humans in the 1990's when technology became part of our everyday lives. It was seen as a positive trait and encouraged. I have seen this term used on resumes and job descriptions (to this day)!
Studies have even shown that working moms feel multitasking is a necessary part of their work and home lives.
So, is it a habit to kick or a habit to tweak?
My Personal Journey
In my inaugural edition, I shared the story of my newborn baby in my arms breastfeeding while simultaneously on a client call while simultaneously typing on my computer. I thought this ability was a rite of passage or was me proving to the world I could be a career mom and have a baby. I had childcare 40 hours a week and my husband was (and still is) the most incredible hands-on father. Even with this, I was still in full juggle mode as a career woman and mom.
This exact juggling image was a new reality for me (and it didn't happen only once).
I had mom guilt. I hid internal shame as a career professional. I felt guilty knowing I could not work 100 hours a week solely for my clients. Yet, why should that quantity of hours be a metric of success?
I didn't give in to my baby. I didn't give in to my client. Instead, I accepted 3 or 4 hours of sleep per night as my new normal. I mentally gave myself a rule that if I had 1 hour of sleep, I could technically function the next day. Constant underlying stress and anxiety followed. None of this was healthy.
As a child and teenager, I remember thinking multitasking was a skill I needed to master. I cannot say who encouraged it as it seemed to come from numerous places and was a common term. As a new mom, I truly believed I needed to master multitasking to achieve mom success and work success.
What I did not know are the realities of multitasking are detrimental to our physical health, emotional health, work product, and relationships.
Always the Numbers
The concept of deep work is rather new (made popular by Cal Newport from his book Deep Work) whereas the concept of multitasking goes back much further.
Here is why the habit of multitasking should be kicked once and for all:
- It takes 50% longer to complete a task if multitasking.
- 50% more errors can occur when multitasking.
- 28% increase in stress levels found in frequent multitaskers.
- 29% increase in symptoms of anxiety for multitaskers compared to those who engage in low levels of multitasking. This includes switching back and forth between electronic devices and frequently switching tasks.
- 40% higher levels of cortisol (stress hormone) found in the saliva of frequent multitaskers.
Research has shown women attempt multitasking more often than men in a variety of our daily activities including work, home, and leisure. It is not clear exactly why, but there is a societal expectation for women to prioritize caregiving, household tasks, and careers.
These statistics mean that multitasking has a significant impact on our physical bodies and the constant underlying stress could lead to long-term health problems. We must protect ourselves. We must fill our cup. Put our oxygen mask on first. Whatever analogy you want to use. Taking care of "me" is for the health and well-being of our families.
So, what do we do? We wear all the hats. Sacrificing ourselves. But it does not have to be this way.
The Next Step
I personally am working to reduce multitasking and focus on deep work and individual attention. Below is a list I compiled from various professionals and have tried each of them on myself. They work – if I stick to it!
10 Ways to Bring Measurable Improvement
- Create a to-do list. The to-do list is a daily task list and not a full project list. The daily list should be somewhere between 5-8 tasks. By keeping the list below 8 it allows room for the inevitable "emergency" tasks to come up throughout the day and while still accomplishing your full list. Personally, I do not separate my task list by category (i.e., personal, work, and household). The reason I do not separate it is because of prioritization (point #2 below).
- Prioritize Tasks. Identify the most important tasks of the day. Focus on completing them one at a time. By using the prioritization method and by combining all categories of your life/day you will accomplish the most important tasks every single day (likely time sensitive ones). If there are one or two straggling tasks that roll onto the next day, they will not be the highest priority task (no matter the category).
- Calendar blocking. Block time on your calendar for specific tasks. Include buffer time. Most importantly: stick to the plan! Something else will always arise but treat your calendar block like a mandatory meeting.
- Meditation/Practice Mindfulness. I heard about the benefits of meditation for years before ever engaging myself. I have even done yoga for over a decade but never understood the benefits of meditation until very recently. When taught properly, and if you allow yourself to engage in meditation, all the pieces of life seem to fall in place. Just 15 minutes has brought me peace to handle the next 6 hours no matter the fire drill (and that I've personally tested)! And practicing meditation trains the muscle of your brain to engage in deep work.
- Practice deep work and eliminate distractions. Intense focus is required. Remove all possible distractions. Silence notifications on your phone. Close your email account. Put up a deep work emoji with silenced notifications for Teams or Slack. Stick to 45 to 60 minutes for each deep work session. It is doubtful you can ignore colleagues and bosses for more than that amount of time. Plus, the intense concentration required will begin to fade after 60 minutes.
- Take Breaks (Eat in Peace). Give yourself permission even on the days that are "so busy" for a minimum of 15 minutes lunch break. Eating at the computer is multitasking and will not help tasks be accomplished. And hearing the notification of the inbox and then reading an email that raises blood pressure while eating is simply not practicing good physical health (I can speak from personal experience on this one)! Stepping away for as little as 15 minutes allows you to be refreshed and recharged.
- Delegate. Delegate at home. Delegate at work. Delegate personal. Women tend to think we should do it all and wear all hats. Perhaps because we want to prove our ability. Enough with that. Go through the whole day thinking, "Where is my time needed? Where is it best spent? Who or what can assist with [this] project or task?"
- Learn to Say "No". This could be a newsletter itself. Give yourself permission to say "no". "No" is a complete sentence. We have seasons of life. Perhaps one activity isn't right for this season, but you can say yes again next season. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and what truly fills your cup.
- Electronic Pause. We talked about removing distractions for deep work. What about for time with our own children? It can be treated like a 45-60 minute deep work session as well. About a year ago, my husband and I developed a "no devices" rule while eating dinner and during family movie/game night. Our children are still so little so we set this rule for ourselves to create a household and environment where we can engage in attentive interactions together. Our devices (phones, computers, Apple watches) are placed out of site and out of mind during these moments.
- Remove the Multitasking Trophy. Remove "multitasking" from our vocabulary. It is not an award or a badge of honor. It is an unhealthy habit to replace.
I am in recovery from multitasking. I still slip back into it – daily. But I am consciously choosing a healthier path. One for me, one for my family, and one for my clients!
Filling up the cup,
Helen
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Co-Founder of Tentho – the Future of Accounting. Contact me directly if you are interested in using Tentho as a board member, CFO, tax accountant, or financial accountant.
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References: American Psychological Association, Journal Computers in Human Behavior (2016), Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (2015), BMC Psychology (2017), Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, The Myth of Multitasking, How to Stop Multitasking and Improve Your Focus, Single-Tasking: The Insanely Simple Productivity Hack That Actually Works