I gave this speech to my Toastmasters club on August 12, 2010. I conducted extensive research to support my theory that single-tasking was better (more productive and safer) than multi-tasking.
Three years ago, Nicci Surtees, was very badly injured. She was waiting to cross the street at a well-lit intersection. The road was clear when she stepped into it. The speeding SUV slammed into her and dragged her underneath it.
The driver? A 17-year old talking on his cell phone to his mother. She heard the impact through the phone.
Nicci suffered four fractures in her skull, 6 broken ribs, and both of her feet were swollen several times their normal size and black and blue. Obviously she was unable to work so she lost several thousands of dollars in wages, lost her apartment, and experienced excruciating pain for months. All due to a distracted driver, a multi-tasker.
Mister Chair, Fellow Toastmasters, and Welcome Guests, Wikipedia defines multi-tasking as “the ability of a person to perform more than one task at the same time.” It would make sense then that single-tasking is performing one task at a time. Today I’m going to dispel some commonly held beliefs about multi-tasking and share with you why I believe that single-tasking is better for all of us.
MYTH 1: Multi-tasking allows you to get more done.
It may seem like you are getting more done because you are working on several things at the same time but that’s not actually true. Your effectiveness drops because you are switching back and forth between tasks and never giving all of your attention to one task.
In March 2007, the New York Times reported on research done by Microsoft research scientist Eric Horvitz. Horvitz found that workers took an average of 15 minutes to return to their previous task after answering the phone, e-mail, or an instant message. “They strayed off to reply to other messages or browse news, sports, or entertainment Web sites” says Horvitz.
Additionally, the cost of interruptions on the American economy is estimated to be nearly $650 billion a year according to Jonathan B. Spira, who is the chief analyst at Basex, a business research firm. There’s nothing to indicate that the numbers for Canada wouldn’t be fairly similar.
MYTH 2: Multi-tasking saves time
Multi-tasking actually steals more time from you because it takes you longer to do anything. It also increases the chance of mistakes. We like to think of our brains as computers but they are not. They can’t process the information as quickly as a computer can.
In a New York Times article from March 2007, David E. Meyer, director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan states, “When people try to perform two or more related tasks either at the same time or alternating rapidly between them, errors go way up, and it takes far longer–often double the time or more–to get the jobs done than if they were done sequentially. The toll in terms of slowdown is extremely large–amazingly so.”
Personally, I notice a huge decrease in my ability to concentrate when I’m listening to music with lyrics. I can surf the Internet for fun but if I’m working, I need near silence in order to be effective.
MYTH 3: Multi-tasking doesn’t hurt anyone.
I think Nicci Surtees would vehemently disagree with this myth. She suffered excruciating pain for months after being hit by the SUV.
In December 2006, a study was published in the journal Neuron by René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University. He found that there was a delay of one second when research subjects were given two tasks at once. That may not seem like a lot of time but in a driving situation, a one second delay can mean the difference between life or death.
I’ve dispelled the three biggest myths about multi-tasking. Now, let’s talk about single-tasking, the art of doing one thing at a time. Leo Babauta has written this brilliant book called The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…In Business and in Life. The book is a guide to simplifying your life and business.
The fourth principle talks about Focus as being the most important tool in becoming more effective. I’d like to share some of Leo’s tips for single-tasking with you:
- Decide what two or three of your Most Important Tasks are each day. These are the things you absolutely have to get done to feel accomplishment. Get these done first thing in the morning before anything else, even checking e-mail. I started implementing this in June and devoted 64 hours to building my website. I had worked 8 hours on marketing the month before!
- When you are working on a task, turn off all other distractions (e-mail and the Internet if possible, cell phones, Blackberries, and your phone). Focus on your one task and try to get it done without worrying about other things.
- If you are interrupted with more work, make a note of it on a notepad or a text file on your computer. Deal with it later and get back to your task.
- If an interruption is truly urgent, make note of where you left off if possible. Put your work and documentation together (possibly in a folder) so that when you come back to it, it’s all there. You will be able to easily pick up where you left off.
Today, we’ve discussed three of the most common myths of multi-tasking; that it allows you to get more done, it saves time, and it doesn’t hurt anyone. I’ve dispelled these myths with research findings, experts’ testimony, and proof that multi-tasking can maim a person for life. I’ve also given you some easy steps to take to single-task. I urge you to try these tips for a month and see how your productivity and effectiveness increases.
Is single-tasking better than multi-tasking? Think carefully! Your life may depend on it.
