The Mistake of Multitasking

Being able to juggle several tasks and multi task is a skill that may or may not prove to be an asset for business professionals. Job descriptions in every level of an organization routinely mention the need for an employee that can work on several projects concurrently usually within a dynamically changing work environment. 

But is multitasking an effective and efficient way to accomplish entrepreneurial tasks?

Type in "the argument against multitasking" in your Google search box, and you will find that several professionals in diverse industries believe multitasking to be a hindrance. The argument seems to be growing in popularity that accomplishing tasks in a sequential manner is far more efficient than attempting to do many at once. 

Perhaps this is the point of the old childhood exercise of patting ones head while rubbing their stomach at the same time. In this exercise, it is easy to see that doing both actions causes one action to be slowed, or stopped altogether. 

The mistake in multitasking is assuming that the same quality of work provided for each project will be the same. Even while completing several projects, it is important to focus on one project at a time so that attention to small details is not compromised. The quality of work is far more important than quantity, especially in service based industries where customer satisfaction is directly related to return business and referrals.

Imagine walking into your local supermarket and having the cashier check out your groceries and someone else's at the same time. This would cause many problems from a customer perspective:

• Customer will not receive the same attention they would have without competing for the cashiers service
• Customer is more likely to be annoyed by the above fact alone; but add the increasing possibility of double scans or money errors and the customer could become irate
• Customers with an agenda to steal would have more opportunity to do so

The issues from the company perspective would include:

• Slowed productivity in the store
• Higher rate of complaints from annoyed customers
• Higher rate of errors in handling cash and resolving customer concerns

As entrepreneurs, multitasking can spell disaster. When working on several projects, it is better to develop a schedule where one project will be worked on at certain times before moving on to another. Scheduling the day so that each project has a time slot with small goals or objectives will produce better quality work allowing the brain to focus on a particular issue. Focusing is difficult to achieve when the mind is attempting to process several requests at the same time.

Even if duties cannot be completed in the time allotted, working in sequence saves time, increases quality, and reduces possibility of mistakes and stress. Just as computers slow when too many requests are sent at once, so does the brain take longer to process requests when bombarded by too many at once. 

Do you disagree or have an experience you can share about multitasking and its effect on your business?

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