If you’re reading this editorial without doing anything else at the same time (drinking your morning coffee doesn’t count; washing the breakfast dishes while getting your children dressed while vacuuming the family room while talking to your mother-in-law on the phone does) congratulations. You probably have more brain cells than the rest of us.
Those "studies" we all love so much are now telling us that multi-tasking — the habit we thought was the epitome of organizational nirvana — makes us stupid. It can kill our brain cells and who among has enough of those to spare?
In a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, participants were given two tasks requiring approximately 10 minutes each to complete. When the tasks were accomplished independently, they took 20 minutes. But when subjects worked on the two tasks simultaneously, switching back and forth between the work, it actually took 25 to 30 minutes, with a higher error rate.
Panic at the thought of having to change your ways, if you must. After all, multi-tasking is like an addiction and the thought of giving it up seems impossible. Or, jump for joy that you now have an excuse to do one thing at a time instead of meeting everyone’s demands at once. Maybe American workers can get a new law out of this; or at least a new lawsuit. Sobbing former employees can tell judges and juries how they lost brain cells by having to answer customer calls, type reports and scarf down their lunches all at the same time. Employees everywhere would have a built-in defense for not having to take on additional tasks while working on another project. Hmmm, we’re on to something here.
Seriously, Americans seem to have elevated multi-tasking to a frightening level. Everywhere you look there are signs of this frenzied technique used in a high-speed pursuit of efficiency. You can’t drive down the freeway without spotting drivers shaving, styling their hair, drinking coffee, applying makeup, eating, talking on cell phones, reading and watching videos. Multi-tasking can not only kill brain cells; it can kill others.
Taking life at a leisurely pace and working on a single task at a time has become a laughable luxury few feel they can afford. There always seems to be too much to accomplish and not enough time in the day to do everything well. We’ve traded quality for quantity.
If we can’t do everything well, we’ll do it all quickly. Or so we thought — when we had more brain cells.
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