Multi-Tasking versus Single-Tasking

“To do two things at once is to do neither.” - Publilius Syrus

Lately I’ve been thinking and reading about things that cause stress and things that stress causes. I was reading in the QLog (in a series on productivity) about multi-tasking. Thom Quinn states that it is a myth that multi-tasking is effective.

Although folk-wisdom for many years has been that doing many things at the same time is good way to tackle a number of tasks, it turns out that this is not true. Let’s look at the problem from both a philosophical (logic) and a scientific (psychology) viewpoint.

Logically, each time you switch between a task, such as suddenly checking voice mail while in the middle of composing a short email, you lose a few seconds to a full minute, depending what is needed to get the materials together for the next activity. The obvious conclusion is that there is a time-cost every time you switch!! After an eight hour day of ‘multitasking’ this adds up to wasted time.

I agree with his observations and would also add that day-long multi-tasking is stressful. Sometimes I just have to multi-task, for instance while I am (was - yesterday was my last day) at work. Being in a sales position: working on the floor, tracking orders, answering phones, tagging the floor, is a day full of multi-tasking. Sometimes it just makes me want to scream. But then I remember, I have eight hours to get it all done and undoubtedly there will be a lull when I can complete the task.

I find I work better at home when I single-task. Tackling one thing at a time brings with it the satisfaction of completion and I get to check it off my list. I feel a sense of accomplishment for the one task that got done and in turn it gives me the motivation to move onto the next task at hand.

How about you? Which way do you work better?


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