Does Multi-Tasking Really Work?

The term multi-tasking was all the rage when I was graduating from college in the early 90’s. In fact, it was a skill that was supposed to be listed on job applications and resumes. After all, if you could multi-task, then you could accomplish more.

A few decades later, research emerged that multi-tasking wasn’t a super skill – and definitely not a badge of honor. Multitasking actually slows you down, which means you’re far less productive.

I’ve shared statistics from studies with clients, participants in workshops, and in my book The Inefficiency Assassin. And yet people continue to multi-task thinking they’ll work faster and finally get caught up.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a podcast on Freakonomics. The title of the episode is:

Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?

Excellent question!

This episode does a great job of uncovering the science behind what the brain can and can’t do, does and doesn’t do, when it comes to multi-tasking. Yes, I did say science, but the episode is light, easy to understand, and entertaining.

If you don’t have the time to listen to the episode all at once, I encourage you to chunk it into 10-minute segments. If you want to understand why multi-tasking gets you nowhere, definitely take a listen:

Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying? (September 2024)

Older episodes:

I’m All for Multitasking but Is This a Good Idea? (October 2011)

The Myth of Multitasking (November 2010)

If you’re interested, you can browse some scholarly articles here.

Happy solo-tasking!

For more tips on how to not succumb to multi-tasking, check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.