The Science Behind the Multitasking Myth and How to Avoid It

I was out for a walk with a friend of mine the other day when we got on to the topic of the multitasking myth. She was a bit skeptical and said to me: “If there really is such a thing as the multitasking myth, then why am I able to walk and talk at the same time?”

“Good question!”, I replied as I started to explain the multitasking myth to her…

The Brain is Unable to Multitask

Author John Medina discusses the multitasking myth in his great book Brain Rules: 12 Rules for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.

“Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth. The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially, one at a time. At first, that might sound confusing; at one level the brain does multitask. You can walk and talk at the same time. Your brain controls your heartbeat while you read a book. Pianists can play a piece with left hand and right hand simultaneously. Surely this is multitasking. But I am talking about the brain’s ability to pay attention. It is the resource you forcibly deploy while trying to listen to a boring lecture at school. It is the activity that collapses as your brain wanders during a tedious presentation at work. This attentional ability is, to put it bluntly, not capable of multitasking.” ¹

So, the takeaway is that while we are able to walk and talk at the same time, multitasking is a myth when it comes to paying attention.

Before we get to the explanation of the multitasking myth, let’s do a quick experiment:

The Multitasking Myth Experiment

You will need a piece of paper and a timer such as the one on your smartphone.

(1)  On a piece of paper draw two horizontal lines.
(2)  Then start the timer as you complete the following two tasks:

On the first line write:

I love the Prime Your Pump blog!

On the second line write the numbers 1 through 20 sequentially, like this:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

How long did it take you to complete those two tasks? It should be roughly 20 seconds.

Now, let’s do a little multitasking.

Let’s draw two more horizontal lines. You are still going to write ‘I love the Prime Your Pump blog!’ on the first line and the numbers 1-20 on the second, but this time you will do it a bit differently.

Start by writing the first letter on the first line (‘I’), then the first number on the second line (‘1’), then the next letter on the first line (‘l’), then the next number on the second line (‘2’). Then keep going back and forth until you have completed both lines.

It probably took you at least double the time to complete the exercise, you may have made some errors and you also may have got a bit frustrated for having to think about the next letter and number would be.

Why is this the case? What is the reason for the multitasking myth?

Well…

The Reason We Cannot Multitask

To explain why we cannot multitask let’s look at what happens in your brain as you are in the middle of writing a long email when you are interrupted by a naughty text message from your significant other.

What that naughty text message between you and your significant other says is between you and them – just understand we here at Prime Your Pump are not judging you!

There are 4 steps that occur in the process:

(1)  Shift Alert

The first thing that happens when you start writing the email from a cold start is that blood quickly rushes to your anterior prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is similar to a switchboard and it lets the brain know it is going to shift attention.

(2)  Rule Activation for the first task (writing the email)

This alert relays a two-part message. The first is a search query to identify those neurons who are able to execute the task of writing the email. The second is a command that rouses those neurons once they are discovered. These two steps are a process called ‘rule activation’ and they take several tenths of a second to execute. At this point, you begin to compose your email.

(3)  Disengagement

As you are typing, you hear your phone ding as the naughty text message from your significant other arrives. Seeing as how the rules needed for creating an email are different from those of texting your significant other your brain needs to disengage from the rules of writing the email before handling the text. At this point, the switchboard is notified and alerts the brain that another shift in attention is about to occur.

(4)  Rule Activation for the second task (respond to the naughty text)

Now, the brain has to deploy another two-part message to identify the rules for naughty texting.  Similarly, to rule activation for sending an email the first task, it is a two-part message, the first find the neurons able to send a text and the second is to activate them.

So, every time we switch tasks, these four steps need to occur in sequence.

As you can see, it takes time and it is sequential – and it is the explanation for the multitasking myth. In reality, we aren’t multitasking, we are task switching and it’s not good!

It takes a person who is interrupted 50% longer to accomplish a task with up to 50% more errors and possibly a hell of a lot of stress and frustration to boot!

How to Overcome the Pitfalls of Task Switching

We now understand that the brain processes things sequentially and that we cannot pay attention to two things at once. We also understand how it limits productivity, increases mistakes, and adds stress and frustration. With that being said, there are a few things we can do to limit the possibility of multitasking aka task switching.

(1) Focus on one thing at a time

This is pretty obvious, duh!

(2)  Create an interruption-free zone

This can be accomplished by turning off our phones, email, and social media which will result in us getting much more accomplished. If this is tough for you to do, you can download apps and software that blocks or limits your access to certain sites and apps for the time required.

(3)  Utilize batching

The concept of batching involves grouping similar tasks together. This way you aren’t wasting time jumping from task to task. For example, setting a time block for doing emails instead of doing them at all different times.

As I Finished My Explanation of the Multitasking Myth…

…she pulled out some gum and just as she was about to offer me some she smiled. I knew what she was thinking, so before she said anything, I said:

“Unless chewing gum will inhibit your ability to pay attention to me, which in your case I’m not so sure, it’s not multitasking and yes please, I would love a piece of gum!”

Until next time, keep chewing gum, beware of the multitasking myth and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it Or Lose It

There are 4 steps that occur in the multitasking process:

(1)  Shift alert.
(2)  Rule activation for the first task.
(3)  Disengagement.
(4)  Rule activation for the second task.

There are a couple of things we can do to limit the possibility of multitasking aka task switching:

(1)  Focus on one thing at a time.
(2)  Create an interruption-free zone.
(3) Utilize batching.

When to Use It

When you are tempted by multitasking.

What Do You Think?

Do you a multitasker? What do you think of multitasking aka task switching?

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References

¹ Brain Rules: 12 Rules for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking