How Multitasking Affects Productivity and Brain Health

You pride yourself on juggling many different tasks at once—answering emails, listening to your favorite podcast, and checking items off your to-do list (all while racking up steps on your mini walking pad). It feels productive and efficient, but beneath the surface, your brain is working overtime. And research indicates that the effects of multitasking on productivity are not always as positive as we like to think.

The question then becomes: Is multitasking *actually* a good thing? It might seem like a great way to get a lot done at once, but research has shown that our brains are not nearly as good at handling multiple tasks as we think. Some research suggests that multitasking can hamper your productivity by reducing your comprehension, attention, and overall performance.

What is it that makes multitasking such a productivity killer? It might seem like you are accomplishing multiple things at the same time, but what you are really doing is quickly shifting your attention and focus from one thing to the next, a process that psychologist call task switching. Shifting from one task to another may make it difficult to tune out distractions and cause mental blocks that can slow you down.

How Multitasking Hampers Productivity

Multitasking takes a serious toll on productivity. Our brains lack the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time—in moments where we think we're multitasking, we're likely just switching quickly from task to task. Focusing on a single task is a much more effective approach for several reasons.

Multitasking Is Distracting

Multitaskers may feel more distracted than people who focus on one task at a time. This makes sense when you consider that, by habit, multitaskers constantly refocus on a new task, effectively distracting themselves from their original assignment.

This can be a big problem if you're a person who struggles with attention and memory problems. It's also why sometimes you switch to another task and then forget what you were working on in the first place.

Other research shows that while there may be a connection between multitasking and distraction, that link is smaller than originally thought and varies quite a bit from person to person.

Multitasking Slows You Down

While it may seem contrary to popular belief, we tend to work slower and less efficiently when we multitask. Multitasking leads to what psychologists call "task switch costs," or the negative effects that come from switching from task to task.

Changing our focus also keeps us from relying on automatic behaviors to finish tasks quickly. When we're focused on a single task that we've done before, we can work on "autopilot," which frees up mental resources. Switching back and forth bypasses this process, and we tend to work more slowly as a result.

Multitasking Impairs Executive Function

Multitasking is managed by executive functions in the brain. These control and manage cognitive processes and determine how, when, and in what order certain tasks are performed. There are two stages to the executive control process:

1. Goal shifting: Deciding to do one thing instead of another
2. Rule activation: Changing from the rules for the previous task to the rules for the new task

Moving through these stages may only add a few tenths of a second, but it can start to add up when people switch back and forth repeatedly. This might not be a big deal when you are folding laundry and watching television at the same time.

More recent research has expanded on these basic processes to include other important functions including cognitive flexibility, working memory, and task inhibition. Task inhibition is a cognitive process that works to inhibit the previous task and enhance the ability to change tasks more efficiently.

Multitaskers Make Mistakes

While multitasking might sometimes help you crank out tasks before a deadline, you might find that you're more likely to make mistakes. Multitasking may lower your performance and make you more prone to making mistakes. Research has shown that students who multitask in class tend to have lower GPAs (and, if they continue multitasking at home, they often take longer to finish their homework).

Adults may also experience lower performance while multitasking. One 2018 study found that older adults were likely to make more mistakes while driving if they multitask.

Brain Function in Multitaskers

Doing several different things at once can impair cognitive ability—even for people who multitask frequently. In fact, research suggests that people tend to overestimate their ability to multitask, and the people who engage in this habit most frequently often lack the skills needed to be effective at it.

Chronic multitaskers tend to show more impulsivity than their peers, and they may be more likely to downplay possible risks associated with tackling multiple things at once. They also seem to show lower levels of executive control and are often distracted easily.

Limited cognitive resources may be involved in this phenomenon. Several networks in the brain interact to guide our behavior whenever we set out to complete a task. This behavior includes:

• Setting a goal
• Identifying the information we need to achieve it
• Disregarding irrelevant distractions

When we try to engage in this process for multiple tasks at once, it can lead to cognitive errors. We might fail to disregard irrelevant information, for instance, which would lead to more distraction.

The research isn't clear on the exact relationship between multitasking and brain function. It's possible that chronic multitasking changes the brain over time, leading to more distractibility and problems with focus, or it may be that people with these traits are more likely to multitask in the first place.

Media Multitasking

Some research suggests that people who engage in media multitasking (using more than one form of media or type of technology at once) might be better at integrating visual and auditory information. However, research has not reached a consensus on the impact of media multitasking.

For example, some research suggests that heavy media multitaskers are better at integrating two sources of sensory information, while other research suggests this type of multitasking impairs performance. Other research has found no association between media multitasking and performance.

Break the Multitasking Habit

If you feel like multitasking is negatively impacting your life, it is possible to make some changes that will increase your productivity and efficiency. Next time you find yourself multitasking, take a quick assessment of the various things you are trying to accomplish. Then, determine which task you need to focus on first. Try to:

• Limit the number of things you juggle at any given time to just one task. If you do need to work on multiple things at once, try to combine something automatic, like folding laundry, with something that requires more focus, like having a conversation.
• Use the "20-minute rule." Instead of constantly switching between tasks, try to fully devote your attention to one task for 20 minutes before switching to the other.
• Batch your tasks. If you're having trouble resisting the urge to check your email or engage in another distracting task, schedule a set time in your day to tackle it. By batching similar tasks together and setting a time to handle them, you can free your mind up to focus on something else.
• Limit distractions. This may mean seeking out a quieter place to work, switching your phone off, and turning off notifications and alarms.
• Practice mindfulness. Adding mindfulness to your daily routine may help you notice the times when you're multitasking. Mindfulness can also improve your ability to focus and pay attention to one thing at a time.