Why Multitasking Leads to Inefficiency

Going through my undergraduate degree program in college, I remember having the concept of multitasking forced down me. After all, my major was centered around Business Management and that is what the the great managers were good at – multitasking. The subject was taught as a trait that is valuable in the workplace and highly sought after. Of course I made sure that it was included on my resume and highlighted in any cover letter that I sent out.

Wikipedia defines the term multitasking or human multitasking as follows -

Human multi-tasking or multitasking is the performance by an individual of appearing to handle more than one task at the same time. The term is derived from computer multitasking. An example of multitasking is listening to a radio interview while typing an email. Multitasking can result in time wasted due to human context switching and apparently causing more errors due to insufficient attention.

I couldn’t agree more with the last sentence from the Wikipedia definition – especially the parts about time wasted and more errors. I can tell you from first hand that in my career these points are very true. I have seen it in my current and past jobs as well as in my personal life. Trying to multitask tends to have the opposite effect than what most people strive for. Instead of handling one complex task at a time, many people try and juggle several tasks that never get resolved.

I know several past and current colleagues and friends who live by the multitasking mantra. They feel so strongly about being able to handle multiple projects at once and pride themselves on the fact. While many of these colleagues and friends are hard working and dedicated people – they have one other thing in common. This group of individuals are some of the most inefficient and unorganized people I know. Instead of completing tasks on time, they attempt to work on several tasks only to find themselves late on every single project.

In an attempt to make up for their inefficiencies due to multitasking, this group of people work longer hours in the day believing they are working harder than their colleagues. I had been heading down this path myself for a while. Fortunately, I was able to realize that multitasking was resulting in inefficient and unproductive output both at home and at work. I now have a new focus to become more organized and efficient, trying to focus on one specific task at a time.

3 Reasons Why Multitasking Leads to Inefficiency

Here are a few reasons that I have witnessed first hand in my career and personal life on why multitasking leads to inefficiency.

1. More Defects – It is virtually impossible for the human brain to handle more than one complex task at a time. However, people still try and accomplish many critical tasks at once. In an effort to process more than one task at a time, errors occur. Workers get sloppy which results in more defects and questionable work.
2. Repeating Cycle – Most of the time when a worker tries to complete multiple tasks at once, the majority of them come back for fixes and updates. Since the original task was not worked on with a clear focus, it was probably not completed correctly. This leads to rework by the same individual or co-worker which costs the company money. Throw in several more tasks the person is working on that are not completed correctly, and the problem gets compounded even more. The collection of many outstanding and uncompleted tasks leads to a vicious repeating cycle which is almost impossible to get out of.
3. Making Others Less Productive – Possibly the worst inefficiency of all. Many people who multitask tend to bring others down with them. A team or group of individuals working together on a specific task rely on other group members for the success of the project. Throw in just one person who prefers to multitask everything and it can destroy the efficiency of everyone. I have seen this so many times. After a while, it becomes very frustrating and is hard to recover from.

Final Thoughts

There are a few times when multitasking is not necessarily a bad thing. Having the ability to drop a current task and replace it with an unexpected urgent one is a valuable asset that companies and businesses look for. We all know that emergencies tend to pop up all the time and having the ability to handle them efficiently may be critical to your employer or business that you run. As long as the urgent or critical task is completed with success, multitasking is acceptable in this scenario.

While there are a few times when multitasking is healthy and acceptable, overall it tends to decrease output and efficiency. It can be very difficult trying to avoid getting lured into a new task while working on something else. The challenge for myself and others is to lay out a plan and become more organized so that we stay focused on completing the immediate task in front of us. It is much more efficient to spend more upfront time on a project so that it is completed correctly, instead of having to go back and consistently do rework.

What inefficiencies have you noticed in the workplace or in your personal life because of multitasking?

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