Is multitasking really the skill you want on your resume?

As I was sitting down to write this article, I suddenly felt an urge for another cup of tea (who cares that I’ve just had two). Done, back to the computer… Oh, wait, what about my pending WhatsApp messages. I also need to check the weather for tomorrow to see if going to the beach is an option. Just one second… As I was checking the weather, I caught glimpses of some cool and totally irrelevant Instagram pictures. Won’t hurt to check them out, too, it’s only a second… And here I am 45 minutes later: back at the laptop not really remembering what I wanted to write about in the first place. Distractions in the age of distracted people!

Struggling with distractions is definitely not something an employer wants to pay you for. So, what’s the difference between getting easily distracted and multitasking, which allegedly is a highly desirable skill? Most importantly, is there a difference?

Multitasking can be defined as performing two or more tasks simultaneously or switching back and forth between tasks. The truth is that a lot of times we simply don’t have a choice. Most of us are trying to get our daily tasks done to the never stopping beat of new email notifications and back-to-back meetings. Some of us become real masters of multitasking. But are we really doing ourselves and our employer a favor? Let’s dive deeper to see what happens to our brain when we try to get several things done at the same time.

Information processing theory explains that once we pay attention to something (whether an email, birds’ singing outside or a colleague popping into the office), this information enters our working memory. It is in our working memory that information gets processed to get integrated with what we already know and stored away in long-term memory for future use. A distinct feature of working memory is that its capacity is limited. Scientists believe that a short-term memory can successfully process 7 +/-2 bits of information. Bits can vary in size and can be simpler or more complex. What happens when we need to pay attention to more new, distinct pieces of information (imagine that a colleague popped in to discuss something while you were in the middle of an email and in the five minutes you were speaking to the colleague, you got another 10 emails and 5 phone calls)? We run into a condition called cognitive overload, or inability to process the amount of information we have reacted to.

An interesting thing happens to our brain when it understands it can’t handle the amount of information it was presented with. Our brain has several zones, each responsible for certain functions. Frontal lobes are in charge of executive functioning: decision making, planning, organization and prioritization of information, time management and other complex tasks. Deeper centers of the brain manage survival, drive and instincts.

Under normal conditions, we use frontal lobes to make sense of information and make the best decisions. When we need to process a lot of information at the same time, we put extreme pressure on this area of the brain. It starts sending messages of distress to the lower brain, which takes over as it interprets this as a survival, fight-or-flight type of a situation. We suddenly feel fear, anxiety, impatience, anger and panic. Our flexibility and ability to think rationally drops. Our intelligence decreases. What impact does it have on our work? Hasty decisions, poor quality and lots of emotional drama.

So, what’s the way out? Ideally, companies would realize that abusing the amount of information you expect your teams to process is not the way to innovation and productivity. But in the meantime, here are some tips you can follow:

1. Emotions do have an impact on how our brain functions. Promote positive emotions to create a fear-free environment for your brain. For example, taking lunch breaks to connect with your colleagues might not only give you a chance to rest, but also improve your brainpower and resilience in tough times.

2. Sleep, eat well and exercise!

3. Learn to stay in control. It’s most likely that the flow of emails won’t stop. But be conscious about how you work with information:

· Break complex tasks into smaller parts

· Decide what is important to accomplish for today (most likely, it is not going over all 99 emails)

· Have a list of no more than 5 top priority tasks for each day

· Free space (e.g., on your desk) and time (e.g., keep afternoons free of meetings)

· Know how you work best (e.g., with music, standing, in silence etc.)