Multi-taking is bad

In this fast, hectic and stressful society that we are in, we learn to multi-task - which is bad. We're doing our jobs, plus the jobs of one or two gone-but-not-replaced colleagues and doing it all with less support.

How to stay sane when we're insanely busy? We become very good at multitasking. However, multitasking may not be efficient.

“Speed is the modern, natural high,” says psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, MD, director of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Mass. But he insists that true multitasking is a myth. We may feel we’re doing two -- or more -- things at once, but it’s an illusion. Instead, we’re quickly switching our focus back and forth.

That’s because the cerebral cortex can pay attention to only one thing at a time, says Hallowell. “What people really do is shift their attention from one task to the next in rapid succession. That reduces the quality of the work on any one task, because you’re ignoring it for milliseconds at a time.”

In this multitasking world of mobile phone chatting, fast-food-eating during any given rush hour reflects the fact that despite ever-speedier technology designed to provide more "free" time, we never seem to have enough of it.

Some say the need for speed, with lengthy to-do lists, hectic day planners and consistent clock-checking, has become a national obsession.

Four strategies for managing your crazy-busy life:

• Mix and match. Pair high-cortical involvement tasks -- those that involve judgment -- with routine, physical tasks that the cerebellum, the brain’s autopilot, can handle. For example, talk to your mom on the phone while folding laundry.
  
• Rest your case. If your hectic schedule demands you rise at the crack of dawn, steal an hour from the TV at night. A sleepy brain can’t focus.
  
• Wean from screens. Resist email, the Internet, texting -- anything that’s not essential to the work you’re doing right now.
  
• Ban boredom. Try to do what you love and what matters most. Organize your life around this principle, and you won’t be tempted away from the task at hand.

But if we do need to multi-task:

• One size does not fit all. Handles almost every incoming email in real time; checks email just twice a day. When it comes to multitasking, no single solution works for everyone. Pick the tactic that's best for you.
  
• Paper piles only grow. When you get a paper report or memo, deal with it, then file it or hand it off. Piles of paper make for more work.
  
• Heading to a meeting? Go unplugged. When you meet with someone, you're using a nonrenewable resource: your time. Don't let cell-phone or pager interruptions waste it.
  
• The next killer business app? Instant messaging. IM is faster than email and just as inclusive. Its beauty lies in its simplicity.
  
• Delegate: It's the ultimate time-saver. Investing in frequent communications with your staff -- lunch meetings, daily emails -- yields big dividends. Your staff members can't lighten your load if they're out of the loop.


• Working in hard-to-reach territories? Voice-mail it, rather than sending SMS. Voice mail is more dependable than email and SMS.

I think it's up to the individual. If we have to deliberately choose to do less, even though the expectations are to do more. We need to do more of the things that matter most.