Are you sure that your main ally in the pursuit of success has not turned into a hidden enemy?
Psychologists and neuroscientists are sounding the alarm: a habit that 99% of people consider an advantage is actually destroying their productivity, creativity and even careers.
It's not about procrastination or laziness. It's something more insidious - something that millions are proud of.
According to a Stanford University study published in the Harvard Business Review , multitasking is the number one productivity killer.
Scientists conducted an experiment: two groups of people performed the same tasks, but one focused on one project, and the other switched between several.
Result of the experiment
Multitaskers performed 40% worse, as their brains spent resources on constant switching, which reduced the quality of their work.
Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman confirms in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow that the brain is unable to work effectively in the “multi-tasking” mode. This is an illusion for which we pay a high price.
But why is this myth so popular? Companies boast of employees who “juggle dozens of projects,” and social media glorify the image of “superman.”
The reality is different: according to Forbes magazine, 72% of top managers associate employee burnout with multitasking.
The story of Steve Jobs is a striking example of the opposite. The founder of Apple forbade combining tasks at meetings, demanding full concentration. “Success is born in the depth, not in the vanity,” he said.
How do you know if you've fallen into the trap? Answer: Do you often check your email during calls, scroll through your social media feed while working, or take on new tasks without finishing old ones? If so, your brain is already in overload mode.
MIT neuroscientist Earl Miller warns that constantly switching between tasks reduces IQ by 10 to 15 points—the same as after a sleepless night.
What to do
Go monotasking. Cal Newport , author of the bestselling book Deep Work, suggests the 90/30 method: 90 minutes of total focus on one task, then 30 minutes of rest.
Basecamp implemented this strategy and saw a 60% increase in productivity. Employee review: “I finally finished a project that had been in “work in progress” mode for years.”
Don't let false multitasking steal your success. As Warren Buffett said, "You can't have a baby in a month by getting nine women pregnant." Depth, not breadth, is the key to results.
