Multitasking is a productivity killer masked as a method for becoming ridiculously efficient. We've talked before about how multitasking can ruin your productivity, but we've just found even more proof. It turns out our brains are actually incapable of multitasking, proving that this method should be kept away from work life.
When multitasking, your brain is actually just switching between contexts. This means that you are actually just switching back and forth between different tasks instead of doing them all at the same time. According to Brain Rules, the rate of error increases by 50% when attempting to multitask, and it takes double the amount of time to get things done.
The real problem with multitasking comes down to our attention. You end up giving each task less attention than it deserves, which leads to poor performance. However, when you are working on a single task, your prefrontal cortex is used to help you achieve your goals. When you try to multitask, your brain ends up having to split up its resources, disallowing you from performing at full capacity.
So, instead of trying to juggle multiple tasks at once, focus on one thing and give that one thing your undivided attention. You'll preform better and you'll find that you're much more productive than when trying to multitask.
