I came across a very interesting article today. It appeared in my email inbox, and while I usually don’t read those little health articles the insurance company sends me, the subject line caught my eye. “Multitasking could be making you sick,” it said, and ironically enough, I have been mentioning to friends and family that lately my multitasking skills have been horrible to non-existent.
I work at home, spending most of my time on the computer either reading or writing, both of which take considerable concentration. Add two children constantly interrupting, and you can see where the frustration sets in. I’ve also worked in an office setting, and know that constant phone interruptions while trying to balance a client’s account can be a dangerous thing. I never before realized it could actually be hazardous to my health.
The article, titled “Doing too many things at once is not only unproductive; it can actually make you sick,” makes a few really good points. First, our brains can only do so many things at once. We may think we are multitasking, when in reality all we are doing is interrupting one task with another. A study cited in the article stated on average, it takes an office worker 25 minutes to return to his original task when interrupted. That’s a lot of downtime!
When I realized I was having trouble concentrating on my writing while my children were playing, I assumed it was a result of the brain cells I lost during my last pregnancy. After all, it has been proven that pregnant women lose some…leading to the often referred to “pregnancy brain.” However, for instance, the brain only has one “language channel,” so focusing on reading and listening at the same time is futile.
Short-term memory is also affected by the long-term exposure to the extra stress hormones and adrenaline that multitasking causes. The article states that women who used to be able to multitask may find, over time, that they even have trouble completing one task at a time! As someone who used to work in a law office while attending paralegal courses online, while raising two kids, I now understand why reading I can no longer read an email while the television is on.
The cure? Slow down, look at the work you need to do, and take it one step at a time. Turn off the phone or avoid checking your email when focusing on a task. You’ll save yourself the risks associated with the extra stress, and give your brain a much-needed rest!