Is multitasking friends with our brains

Many of you have heard and read that the lack of multitasking is required to work effectively in the process. However, there are situations when even at home, you may find yourself at dinner in front of the TV, and next to you is included laptop. Working with e-mail, we are trying to do something more, and Facebook and Twitter, while not forgetting about Google+.

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Theoretically, focus on one task is easier than to keep in mind several processes at once. So why is it so difficult to focus? To answer this question trying to Leo Uidrich, Buffer co-founder of the project.

Multitasking makes us feel better

In fact, when trying to find the answer to this question reveals a simple truth: the people who use multitasking is actually not more productive, but only experience greater emotional satisfaction work.

This is the conclusion arrived scholar by the name Zhen Wang in the study of the issue of multitasking. At the same time reading books, watching TV and the associated communicating with friends, we have a feeling of completion of all planned and necessary things. We do several things at once and still feel incredibly effective.

Unfortunately, in this case, our feelings are at odds with reality. During the study, students are actively applying multitasking, though, and feel better, but the results of their work have been much worse.

Another problem with multitasking is apparent from human efficacy with this approach. We see these people, and we think that they are just "manage everything at once," and we want to be like them.

How our brain perceives multitasking

I wonder what our brains are generally not suited to multitasking. Simultaneous food intake, correspondence with 5 persons in Messenger and send emails in fact does not mean that the brain can focus on all of these lessons again.

Instead, each of the processes performed "live" in a separate part of the brain, with run at the same time they are not. In fact, the brain just starts one process, while continuing to another, and seeming to us multitasking is actually a frequent and fast switching.

This may also include the work of Clifford Nass, who suggested that multitasking helps develop other useful quality, such as data sorting, the ability to quickly switch between tasks and keep large volumes in the head information.

However, practice has shown the opposite: mnogozadachniki much worse coped with filtering irrelevant information and switching between tasks.

Solution

Initially Leo used simultaneously 2 mailboxes, TweetDeck, Facebook, and additional utility to send instant messages. Permanent transition between windows applications to make sure that nothing is forgotten, actually makes workflow headaches. To exit from this situation is enough to make 3 changes to its activities:

1. One browser tab. Try to limit yourself to the presence of only one open browser tabs. Such a restriction will make you really serious approach to the sorting task by priority issues.
2. The following paragraph follows from the previous one and it can be called one simple word "planning». At the end of the day just try to plan their activities for the next day. Of course, not all the workflow running smoothly. Often, there are urgent tasks that you could not guess, and yesterday and even 10 minutes ago. However, and here it is possible to analyze, highlighting the average amount of time required for such force majeure. In addition to planning the surface, try to mentally develop workarounds for each scheduled task. Such brainstorming is always useful for the brain and allows the development of advance solutions to the challenges ahead.
3. Navigate. It would seem, and here change jobs? Very simply, try to plan your day so that there is binding of the tasks to your location. "I'll come back and do it, and then go back and I will do it there." Again, this approach is not applicable to all, but a change of scenery really helps not only focus on individual tasks, but also gives the opportunity to relax a little bit distracted.

Last question: music while working

Disputes regarding the music during execution of a task is still relevant. Clifford Nass says the following:

"In the case of music, everything is a little different. We have a separate area of ​​the brain responsible for perception of music and it does not interfere with doing something along the way. "