Multitasking Superhero

For this post, I want to explore multitasking. By multitasking, I'm not simply referring to performing basic actions simultaneously, such as walking and talking (though that can be challenging at times!). I'm referring to handling multiple complex tasks at once, tasks that demand processing information or being engaged and present with someone else.

My Multitasking Superpower

I'll be honest, I used to see myself as a multitasking superhero. I not only believed I excelled at multitasking, but also saw it as my superpower, proudly displaying it like a badge of honor. If I was joining a meeting, finishing an email, texting a client, and getting my daughter ready for school all at once, I was content. More than content, I felt like I was thriving. I truly thought multitasking was my secret to success - without this superpower, I simply wouldn’t be able to get everything done.

However, my research has revealed that multitasking is far from a superpower and may have significantly contributed to my burnout.

Superpower or Superpower Drainer?

The issue is that humans cannot truly multitask. Multitasking is neither a superpower nor an actual skill; it’s an illusion. When you believe you are concentrating on two things simultaneously, your attention is actually shifting from one task to another. This results in using up cognitive energy, or brain power, in switching focus between tasks, rather than dedicating it to the task itself.

When you think you are being efficient by writing an email during a Teams call, you are actually expending more cognitive energy than if you had waited until the call ended.

Your cognitive energy is not limitless. Eventually, you need to rest and allow your brain to recover. If you try to push through, your brain ceases to function effectively. You've likely experienced that sensation of being unable to think clearly. So, if you constantly make your brain switch between tasks, it will tire more quickly, ultimately decreasing productivity instead of increasing it.

The reality is that multitasking is not a superpower; it’s a superpower drainer.

Other Implications of Multitasking

Beyond depleting your energy, research indicates that multitasking can lead to numerous other effects:

• Reduction in Work Quality: When you multitask, you pay less attention to individual tasks, leading to a decrease in overall output quality. This results in spending more time correcting errors and redoing tasks—apparently, my multitasking superpower might have reduced my productivity by 40% to 50%.

  
  

• Additional Stress: Multitasking has been shown to increase stress, negatively affect mood and motivation, and cause anxiety. Constantly switching tasks can limit creativity and even affect working memory.

  
  

• Personal Relationships: Because multitasking prevents you from being fully present with family, friends, and colleagues, it can impact personal relationships.

Multitasking and Burnout

Part of the issue is that we have been taught to organise our day around time rather than cognitive capacity. Time is often described as our most valuable resource, so we continually seek ways to save it. However, time is useless if you can't think clearly; no one can work 24 hours a day.

To avoid the risk of burnout, you must acknowledge that your cognitive capacity is limited and start protecting it. Embrace the idea of focusing on one task at a time and doing it well.

Don't get me wrong, breaking the habit of multitasking is challenging, and sometimes it’s unavoidable. The difference now is that if I find myself multitasking, I no longer deceive myself into thinking it’s a sign of success. I view it as a temporary necessity and recognise it as an early indication that I may have taken on too much.

This understanding is a crucial component of the Anti-Burnout Mindset, which can enhance your resilience and significantly lower your risk of burnout. Could multitasking be your superpower drainer?