Today everyone seems to beam about their ability to multi-task. With the revolution of technology and communication going from simultaneous exchange (phones) to non-simultaneous exchange (texting) we continue to handle multiple activities in what appears to be one increment of time.

But is it a good thing or a bad thing?   A recent study from the American Psychological Association released in August suggests that not only do we get less done by multi-tasking, but it can be hazardous to our productivity!

Even though we think we are “multi-tasking” according to reports by Vanderbilt University, we are still only able to process one activity at a time, but since we can do it fairly quickly, we have the illusion that we are in fact doing it concurrently.

Our “executive control center” is our decision making center which takes significant amounts of time, and according to the report, several tenths of a second, which adds up when people switch back and forth repeatedly between tasks. Where multi-tasking may seem more efficient, it may actually take more time at the end.  In this report, Dr. David Meyer pointed out that a mere half second of time lost to task switching can result in life or death of a driver operating a car using a cell phone.

Another survey done for small businesses revealed that 56% of the responders indicated that they often handle three or more tasks at a time, and reported that one in four business owners stated that multi-tasking does, in some ways, hinder their working ability.  The results from obsessive multi-tasking shows decreased quality of work, taking actually longer to complete a simple task and eventual burn out.

So what can we do? Many of us will continue to perform master multi-tasking activities, and sometimes that can be done appropriately.

But here’s an interesting fact: Did you know that by cutting back only 20% of your day on multi-tasking you have the potential to free up about 237 hours or almost 6 weeks a year of time?  Chris Crouch, President of DME Training & Consulting and developer of the GO System Training course is a productivity expert and coach.

In his program, he asks his students to perform a simple exercise that takes less than 30 seconds for most people to complete, but found the multi-taskers on the first exercise took 61 seconds! 

The bottom line is that multi-tasking is really an illusion.  Science Daily claims we can improve our multi-tasking timing, but in reality, we still can only process one rule or command at a time…maybe faster or slower…but our brains still process one at a time.

 The bottom line:  Be aware that you multi-tasking is okay in moderation, but know you might not be getting as much done in less time as you thought. But by adding a few small changes can help you get more done and free up real time. Crouch suggests that we perform “deliberate” practice of focus and block out 96 minutes per day.  To achieve and maintain this focused state of mind he suggests we use a behavioral ritual or an anchor to help us stay focused on completing a task.  He tells us to practice blocking out 96 minutes every day for deliberate practice (20% of your workday) to stay totally focused on a high priority, high impact task and watch your productivity increase.

It’s all about mindful productive tasking versus unproductive multi-tasking driven by habitual behavior. You don’t have to give up multitasking…just give it up for 20% a day, and be aware of the fact that when you do, it may be costing you!

Practice your “right now” technique and become a master at mindful multitasking…and then figure out what you want to do with all that extra time!