High Cost of Multitasking, 5

Break the habit of trying to multitask. Researchers found that “heavy multitaskers” differed from “non-multitaskers.” Although multitaskers were accustomed to multitasking, they were actually worse at doing it than non-multitaskers who were part of the study. The multitaskers observed the information presented to them but were unable to focus on their goals. Instead, they absorbed the irrelevant information that they were told to ignore, and these distractions prevented them from accomplishing the main tasks of the experiment. In other words, multitaskers were more sensitive to incoming information than non-multitaskers, but were unable to shut off their multitasking tendencies even when they weren’t multitasking. One suggestion is to give your brain some rest. Rather than jumping from one task to another, take a quick break in between to clear your head, get the last task off your mind, and prepare you to focus on what you truly need to accomplish. Researchers say that by avoiding multitasking, you can make your days less stressful and your projects more rewarding. Try it. You just might like it!