Can People Multitask? 5 Reasons You’re Actually Not Good at Multitasking

Remember in the 1990s and early 2000s when every job description listed multitasking as one of the most sought-after skills in the workplace? Modern technology has made things even better, giving you more opportunities to multitask.

Instead of conference rooms, meetings are now being held virtually, giving you a chance to be on your phone while you listen to the speaker. While working on your laptop, you have multiple programs running and numerous tabs open, allowing you to move swiftly from one screen to the next.

We brag to ourselves and others how good we are at doing multiple things simultaneously, even as we struggle to remember anything amid the data streams bombarding our brains from all directions. Studies show that instead of improving your productivity, multitasking lowers your efficiency and eventually affects your long-term memory and creativity.

In short, while it's true that people multitask, it doesn't make you successfully do multiple things.

Let's find out more about why multitasking is a mere myth and what you can do to be more productive.

Can Human Beings Multitask?

The idea of multitasking may sound glamorous, but several studies on brain science have revealed that the human brain is practically incapable of doing multiple tasks simultaneously. Unless, of course, you're doing simple tasks such as jogging while listening to music.

So, when you think you're multitasking, you're simply jumping from one task to another — or back and forth between tasks — in rapid succession. This is called task switching, says neuropsychologist Cynthia Kubu, PhD

You might argue and even give examples of the many times you have done more than one task at the same time.

But the truth is that multitasking is only possible for simple and small tasks such as watching TV as you fold your laundry or listening to a podcast as you cook. However, when it comes to cognitive tasks, researchers have found that multitasking can negatively impact our performance and our lives in general.

You will be surprised to learn that only 2.5% of people have the ability to multitask. So where does that leave the rest of us, and what are the chances that you're among the small percentage of people who can do task switching? Well, you're better off focusing on single-tasking as it gives you sustained attention and more output.

How Good Are You at Multitasking Based on Your Personality Type?

We have seen that only a tiny percentage of the human population can successfully multi-task. Even though many people perform multiple things at the same time, not all multitasking is successful multitasking.

But is your personality why you can or cannot multi-task?

Research conducted at the University of Utah revealed that people's perceived ability to task switch — which is usually inflated — is the number one reason most people multitask. So, people who are highly impulsive and sensation-seeking show greater multitasking behavior.

Another finding is that people often multitask because of the inability to block out distractions and concentrate on one task. Therefore, people with less executive control and those with high impulsivity score high in multitasking.

Generally, people choose to multitask or do a single task based on the potential rewards or losses they're likely to achieve in either of the two. And people will vary substantially in what they deem gains vs. losses. In this regard, reward-oriented people (impulsive individuals) are likelier to perform multiple things simultaneously because of the potential rewards. On the other hand, risk-averse or avoidance-oriented people will be more inclined to tackle a single task rather than multiple tasks because of the possible losses and more significant effort required when trying to do more.

Also, impulsive individuals are more likely to engage in risky ventures, which makes them less sensitive to the possible losses of engaging in multiple activities.

Another reason why people may choose to multitask is the excitement of doing different tasks at the same time. Most people find doing one thing at a time boring and uninteresting. They will often take on several things to reduce boredom at the expense of their productivity. For this reason, people with sensation-seeking personality traits are more likely to engage in multitasking.

For instance, while people with ADHD have difficulties with hyperactivity, attention, and impulsivity, which makes it difficult to switch between tasks, the boredom that comes with single-tasking makes them constantly search for exciting stimuli, which often leads them to multitask.

In other words, your personality may be why you multitask more or choose to do a single task at a time. We go into more detail on specific MBTI personality types and multitasking in this article.

5 Reasons Why Multitasking is Not Good

Most people insist that they achieve more when they multitask. But, according to research, doing several tasks at a time hinders productivity and makes you prone to more mistakes.

Here are some reasons you're not really acing your task switching as you may think.

1. Multitasking Makes It Difficult to Pay Attention

Multitasking means your brain is quickly switching between tasks. Frequent task switching taxes our brain, making it difficult to sustain attention or focus even for a short period. For example, multiple studies revealed that drivers who attempted to perform additional things during a driving simulation registered poorer driving performance.

Further studies show that people who frequently engage in media multitasking (for instance, watching a movie while scrolling through Facebook or checking email while talking on the phone) are more distracted and less focused than those who perform one thing at a time.

2. Multitasking Makes Long-Term Goals Harder to Achieve

Frequent multitasking teaches the brain to seek instant gratification. When you send that text, respond to that email, or scroll through your Facebook feed, your brain receives an upsurge of dopamine (the feel-good hormone), which pushes you to continue doing what you're doing to feed it. Your brain's desire to hunt for more instant gratification makes it harder for you to sustain delayed gratification and discipline needed to achieve long-term goals.

3. Multitasking Makes it Harder to Filter Information

Researchers found that the more you multi-task, the less your mind can filter out information. As psychologist Clifford Nass points out, people who multitask often can't filter out irrelevancy. They are constantly distracted and engage much bigger parts of their brain that aren't relevant to the current task.

On the other hand, when you focus on one thing at a time, your brain can circle in and filter out everything else, giving more resources to what you're working on.

4. Multitasking Causes More Stress

Chronic multitaskers are known to produce high cortisol levels (stress hormone).

While normal levels of cortisol are helpful to the body, too much of this hormone can weaken the immune system, cause inflammation, raise blood sugar, cause reproductive issues, and destroy the areas of your brain that control memory. That's why you'll often find many multitaskers have problems with their working memory and even their long-term memory, which negatively impacts their decision-making.

Chronic multitaskers are also likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression and difficulty paying attention.

5. Multitasking Lowers Your Efficiency

Studies show that bouncing back and forth between several tasks, especially tasks that are complex, tires the brain and makes it less available for the new task, which lowers efficiency rather than boosting productivity.

In one study at the University of California, researchers found that it takes about 23 minutes for someone to refocus after abandoning a task. And that's just from one interruption. You can imagine how much time you would waste with several interruptions daily. This, coupled with the fact that continuously going back and forth between tasks lowers your IQ, makes you less efficient and prone to making mistakes.

The Power of Single-Tasking

You might think you're the most excellent multitasker as you wake up in the morning to drink your coffee, watch some news, drive to work as you listen to your favorite podcast, and catch up on email as you tune into that conference call.

But science has proved you wrong. Studies show that our brains are wired to only focus on one task at a time. According to the theory of threaded cognition, our brain is the main central procedural resource that regulates perceptual (hearing or vision) and motor (hand movements or eye) resources.

Conflicts, also known as switch costs, will arise when you have to perform two or more tasks that require the same attention or brain resources. That means one or all the tasks will suffer.

Ultimately, single-tasking will save you time, improve productivity, reduce stress, and improve accuracy. Switching between different tasks may feel fun and exciting, but it kills your productivity and may damage your brain.

But, even after knowing all of this, it takes work to remove all the chaos and focus on a single task, especially with multiple devices always by our side.

How to Stop Multitasking and Get More Done

It's time to stop multitasking and get more done with single-tasking. Don't know how to do it?

Here are six ideas to help you wean yourself off multitasking:

• Take regular breaks
• Remove your phone from your work desk
• Turn off notifications and have some time set up for checking email and social media
• Create a daily schedule with dedicated time for focused work
• Optimize your work environment for focus
• Remove all distractions from your desk and your screen
• Have a to-do list
• Practice proper time management
• Try to focus on one task when you're working

Want to learn more tips to effectively get more done? Take a look at our free member series, Productivity Basics.

Very Few People Can Multitask Successfully

Even though most of us may lie to ourselves and others that we can multitask, only a very small percentage of the human population can successfully task switch. That means the rest of us must find ways to learn to do one task at a time.

Single tasking will help you make fewer mistakes, improve your attention and productivity, and reduce stress.

Doing one thing at a time also forces you to go deeper and look for results, thus making you more creative. So, start weaning yourself off multitasking to reap all these benefits. One of the best first steps you can take is to learn more about proper prioritization and time management techniques.