| Not only is multitasking
one of the most odious words coined in the last decade, it is part of the
mythology of the so-called "New Economy". It is one of a number of
ludicrous ideas based on the absurd notion that human nature has suddenly
evolved into something new and different.
The truth is that multitasking
is simply a new word for a very old and still very bad habit, spreading
yourself too thin. If you want to achieve major goals, you have to give them
your full attention. And that means concentrating on one task at a time.
Of all the hot air that inflated
the new economy bubble such as new myths about how businesses grow, what they
should be about, the ergonomics of the new office, the psychology of the new
employee, and how new businesses should be valued, the idea of multitasking has
somehow survived the justly embarrassing fate of its imaginary siblings. I'm
still seeing it in respectable business magazines and they’re still
screaming that it denotes something good. What a joke; must be due to a slow
news cycle.
The idea of multitasking itself
is quite inconsequential. It is simply and new term for an old practice, doing
a number of things at the same time. 'Look at me - I can eat food and read at
the same time.' Big deal.
What is pernicious about the use
of the term multitasking is the idea behind it. It supposes that the age of
information has fundamentally changed not only the way we process information,
but also our ability to do so. A new, young breed of worker is evolving along
with the new technology. This new super worker can, like the computer, do many
things at the same time. The idea is absurd but sometimes you can make a dumb
idea sound really smart by giving it a brand new name. Hence the term
multitasking.
Before engaging in this absurd
habit ask yourself…
· Is multitasking new?
· Is multitasking good?
Usually not. Especially not for
people who actually want to accomplish their defined goals and be efficient at
what they do. The reason is simple. If you want to accomplish important goals,
you must do important things. Important things cannot be done with only one eye
open. Goals require attention and energy. Energized attention means focus. It
means doing one thing at a time.
Multitasking is a euphemism for
being sloppy and inefficient. Successful people, when they are most productive,
focus all their energy and attention on the task at hand. They specifically
focus on the problem until they completely understand it. They find solutions
by thinking through the immediate problem without distractions. They activate
those well thought out solutions by demanding the focused attention of others.
Think of any important task you do, anything that's on your day’s to do
list, then ask yourself honestly if you can do it well if you're half
distracted by something else.
Multitasking makes you feel
busy. You are in a whirlwind, scanning your computer glancing at the mail,
talking to three people at the same time. It feels powerful and impressive, but
it's not. It is at all times wasteful and foolish.
Let me put another way, if your
job has any importance to it, any task you can properly accomplish while
multitasking is a task you shouldn't be doing in the first place. It's too
simple it should be delegated or not done at all.
Perhaps Aristotle said it best
in about the fourth century, "In the arena of human life, the honors and
rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action. So much for
multitasking.
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