If it costs us so much, why do we still do it?

Melanie
5 days ago
5 min read

I wish I could get all my energy back that went down the drain because of this.

I bet you do too…

Actually, let’s be more dramatic about it, because I do believe it’s a tragedy: if I could, I’d declare this one behavior pattern the number one enemy of state.

Was it Blackberry - not to throw punches - who originally thought it was a good idea to market it as “more freedom” being able to write emails from the beach?

Well, you live, you learn but who really feels a sense of freedom when you can just quickly reply to a Teams or Slack message from your lounge chair by the pool?

I have done that, and I never felt “free” or relaxed while doing it.

I felt torn.

In a million f*ing directions.

A sense of urgency to hurry up and relax but also thinking, wait why can’t I relax right here and now with my phone in my face, I am wearing a bathing suit and have a drink with an umbrella by my side after all? That’s what relaxation looks like, no? Blackberry said so…

Does the idea of it sound good? Yes.

Does the whole concept produce a pretty visual you can slap on a campaign and make you buy a phone (not a Blackberry, that ship has sailed as we know..)? Absolutely.

It’s one of those things we think, - correction - we’re sold, is not that bad, when really, it kind of “fries your brain” to quote a dear friend I recently talked to about this.

She had a point.

I’m talking about:

Multitasking.

Maybe my feeling “torn” was literally tearing my brain cells apart?

I have no scientific proof of this, but here is some on what multitasking really does to your brain:

Your brain is not designed to handle two attention-demanding cognitive tasks at the same time. (I’m not talking about listening to your favorite song while you unload the dishwasher, in fact, I recommend that, might even be fun…(per my last letter 😉 - read that one here).

What your brain does instead is called “task switching” which results in “switch costs” = slower responses, more errors (aka more frustration, exhaustion…you know that loop you get into where you think you’re going crazy because you barely remember what you’re looking at? Yeah that…)

Also studying and learning while frequently interrupted or during media multitasking often yields poorer long-term retention. So, chances are if you keep answering texts and picking up the phone while you’re trying to get that report done, the likely answer to that question your client might ask, will be…”ah let me get back to you on that one…” (Been there, done that.)

This one hurts, sadly not surprising though: Dual-task and multitask situations trigger sympathetic nervous system responses. Meaning there are acute biological stress markers that can be measured (heart rate, skin conductance, even elevated cortisol).

And last but not least - because no matter your work situation, you’re likely doing this sometimes: Studies of media multitasking (switching among apps, notifications, browsing while working) overall show there are consistent concerns about increased distractibility, attentional fragmentation, and longer-term impacts on concentration and wellbeing.

Pheew, ok so I don’t usually use such a science heavy language here but I think it was worth it to save your brain. So…

Multitasking = not a great idea.

Why is it then that it’s still kind of worn as a badge of honor when it’s truly not even something our brains are capable of?

(And yes, yes there are trainings where people can master some form of it, but unless you’re a pilot, this message is for you).

We’re still indoctrinated with this idea that “I have to do it all and I have to do it now” is a good thing, when it’s really just one thing: unrealistic.

And it turns out: unhealthy.

You know that icky feeling you have at 4pm when you finally start doing the thing you wanted to do all day but you didn’t get to it because the phone didn’t stop ringing, and everything was “urgent” and you kept hearing people say “can I just get your two cents on this…”?

THAT’S BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO MULTITASK AND IT DIDN’T WORK. (I mean this with love...)

The corporate world calls it “reprioritization” (which sure, I won’t fight you on this, it happens) but I call it “mistaking matches for candles”.

You just do one quick thing, watch it burn, and then forget what it was meant to light up. Probably wasn’t our attention span, because those have become shorter than a child’s patience at Christmas.

Can you tell I’m not a huge fan of multitasking?

Not because I don’t understand why it happens and what the intention behind it is, we all just want to do a good job and be efficient. (Probably a little too much..exhale..)

In fact I understand it so well that I’ve fallen victim to it so many times, still do, and it’s exhausting.

Here’s another stat for ya “even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time.” - David Meyer, PhD in Mathematical Psychology.

What if you got that 40% back?

Look, life can be messy and my most sophisticated way of describing it is: it’s a lot. Life is a lot.

And I do want to acknowledge that it’s not like we all just choose to multitask and “fry our brains” like that, we live in a system that forces us to.

Sometimes we can’t afford to just focus on one thing because dinner is on the oven, the boss is on the phone and someone still has to do homework...

But there are ways to not make it feel like you’re blowing a fuse every single time. And that starts with you (that's good news!!!).

It’s the wonderful work I get to do with my beautiful clients. If you’re interested in being one of them and get those 40% back to invest them into YOU, set up a discovery call here.

Have a wonderful and focused😉 week!

Love,

Mel

🤍

Ps. All my newsletters are written by me, not AI (so please flag the typos). 😉

Pps. ChatGPT did help me out with the research on this one, if you want to go deeper, here are the source links: