Are You Multi Tasking A LOT or Are You Multi Tasking SMART?

Recently a colleague called to congratulate me; he had heard my name touted amongst other national leaders who were recognized in a publication.  I was thrilled to hear from him and to share the success. Since we had not talked in a while, he was full of news.  When it was my turn, I enthusiastically shared my current stories only to be constantly met with an awkward two second delay in his response.

We all know exactly what was happening, he was multi tasking.  My heartfelt reaction was to be totally insulted.  Any time that he had taken to call, and any sincerity that he actually felt went right out the window. All I could think is that I was coming in second to him reading and/or answering his email. He was doing more than one task, but was he getting the most from his time if, in the end, he insulted the person that he meant to congratulate? My only thought for him was, next time don’t bother.

In today’s world, time is not on our side. We all multi task!  The most productive people know how to multi task SMART…not just how to do a lot of stuff.  The question is how to multi task to maximize your performance and not hurt it?  In a recent article several studies suggested that we consistently perform better and faster when tasks are done sequentially rather than all at once. A study at Vanderbilt University indicated that scientists had identified a kind of bottle-neck in the prefrontal cortex of the brain that forces people to address problems one after the other, even if they are doing it so fast that it feels simultaneous. It is like a mental traffic jam; even if it feels like you are getting more done, you may not actually be more productive.

Below are a few suggestions on how to deal with the mental congestion:

Don’t try to learn something new while multi tasking. 
Russell Poldrick, PhD from UCLA says, “Our research shows that if you try to master something while splitting your attention, brain activity switches regions – from memory building to short term habit making."  Hint: Multi task what you want to execute, and give single concentration to what you want to absorb.

Pair different kinds of tasks to do together.
It is almost counter intuitive but task similarities make multi tasking harder.  Hint: Match projects that are different like reading a report while riding a stationary bike.

Multi tasking while doing a task that you do all the time.
Research shows that if you repeat a set of tasks, over and over in exactly the same way and in the same order, you will get much better at it.  Hint: Match something that you do all the time like opening snail mail while doing another more challenging task.

Go ahead, take the challenge, and take a hard look at exactly how you are multi tasking; ask yourself if your multi tasking choices are truly helping your to maximize your performance. If not, make a few changes and work SMART, not A LOT. Congratulations, you have taken the first step to deriving results from within.

Vickie Bevenour is acclaimed for her ability to inspire business leaders to become star players.  She has channeled more than two decades of corporate experience, hundreds of hours of business coaching and years of leadership facilitation into a coaching platform that gets results.  Vickie holds an MBA from Tulane University; has a Master’s Certificate in Business Coaching from UNC Charlotte and is a Certified Professional Coach (PCC) candidate from the International Coach Federation. Vickie is the President of the RDW Group, which stands for “Results Derived from Within" and her greatest pleasure is being a partner in the success of her Clients.