Multitasking: you've got to be kidding

Multitasking – what?

I concluded sometime in the last decade, oh so long ago, that I was not a multi-tasker. That seemed to be the catchphrase of the decade. If you were a multi-talented, efficient, and productive employee, then you were certainly a multitasker. The ideal employee was a multitasker. The person you wanted to hire could certainly multitask. Your boss was likely a multitasker and included that skill in your goals. You were held to the standard that “everyone” who is getting a good performance review, or is a likely candidate for promotion, or takes credit for the project’s success is a multitasker

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, multitasker is defined as: 1) the concurrent performance of several jobs by a computer, or 2) the performance of multiple tasks at one time.

I tried doing multiple things at the same time: writing a presentation, reading emails, taking a phone call, and setting up a meeting all at the same time. Would I forget what I was doing? Of course. Would I get frustrated that I would forget the point of the phone call and what I needed to accomplish? You bet. Would it take me longer to do everything because I would have to repeat what I should have been doing? Yes, yes, yes. So, of course, I would have to get up, get coffee, chat with a peer, then re-focus to resume my priority project.

Today at home, I was again checking email, working on a cover letter, newspaper nearby, chatting with a friend on the phone, scooting to get closer to the fireplace…and ignoring the large mug of coffee on the ottoman. Crash and splash. What was I thinking?

This is how we function these days. Read the newspaper, watch/listen to Good Morning America or NPR, write the grocery shopping list, throw the laundry into the dryer, pour more coffee, ask daughter for the third time about plans for the evening, check bank balance online, and re-read the newspaper article that didn’t quite register the first time.

But does anyone really do multiple things simultaneously and well? Too many choices, too much information, and an expectation that everything should happen now. It’s our culture to expect that if someone sends me an email, I should respond immediately (even if I’m also on the phone). Or if someone calls needing a piece of information, I should drop everything to find the document or phone number.

I must admit that I need more focus and am incorporating this into my 2010 goals. I will keep my mind on the task at hand and NOT on what I’m not doing. It’s easier said than done. I’m interested in a lot of things: reading, the latest news, travel podcasts, catching up on industry e-newsletters, chatting with friends, flipping through a design magazine, my children, and finding a job.

According to researchers at Stanford University, “people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time.” [http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-study-082409.html].

So, I will work on my focus, find the techniques that work for me, and will share how effective I’m able to be. I’m admitting now that I may not be available when you call or email…I may be working on something else.