One or Many at a time – Multitasking Myth!

 

Well, I am busy typing an email and then a whatsapp ping comes, so I go to check that, meanwhile a phone call comes, so I pick that, simultaneously, someone comes to meet me, so I go to greet, then the mobile rings, so I pick that.

I know there are so many like me who end up doing this on a daily basis. And there will be so many who asks, why not? I am not trying to say which way is better, that is handling one task a time or handling many at a time. What I intend to convey here, is the fact of being “productive” while all are being done, the “one” task or the “multiple” tasks, what should be thought through is how productive are we? It is very important to understand this as the time taken to do many things at one though might be very less, what gets neglected is the fact of how well are we doing these multiple things, are we just blindly performing it or are we actually applying some thoughts to it.

The answer is definitely a No, our brain is actually loaded with multiple instructions all going on in parallel. Yes, multitasking cannot be totally avoided in today’s fast and advanced technology life. While the benefits are manifold that we get access to information or people faster, no denial there but the truth is productivity gets lost. Instead of always being in a hurry, if we can spend sometime and not load our brains to achieve all at once to actually achieve perfection might fetch bountiful results, as you are more focused and more present than being lost in multiple things. We can try and see how much difference this brings and also see for a fact, how productive we are and how much more confident we are as we are right here doing only that. We need to also give our brains some rest for some sharp and focused thinking. Even while attending meetings, I think it is essential to pay more attention to the discussions and not miss out on anything important, especially avoid the tendency to check our phones or being busy making the meeting notes while missing the essence of the talking points. Thinking and doing is better than just to keep doing.  So let me ask you, which is better, Focus Vs Multitasking and what will you be your choice?