Who hasn’t become a perpetual multitasker? Even more so in the hybrid office where Teams or Zoom meetings provide the perfect opportunity to do – at least – two things at once.
The illusion
You’re more productive by maximizing your time and getting several tasks done simultaneously.
The reality
You’re not! When multitasking, you scatter your attention, focus and energy. And you’re placing an additional strain on your brain: attention residue.
When leaving a task unfinished and moving to another one, “[o]ur brain finds it hard to let go of these tasks, and instead keeps them active in the back of our mind“, according to Sophie Leroy, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Washington, who has studied the phenomenon over the last two decades. Her conclusion: “Your performance … is likely to suffer“.
Ours: Do nothing else!