Multi-tasking or Multi-mistaking?

Multi-tasking:

We all do it and we are all pretty rubbish at it! The purpose of this blog is to help you understand why it is impossible to be good at it and how this habitual behaviour pattern can affect our daily lives.

The quote I used in this month’s newsletter was “My brain has too many tabs open” which made me smile as I knew that many people would think that quote was written just for me! To put the record straight, I am not alone on this one! There are so many ways that we mulit-task it is hard to even realise we are doing it sometimes.

Focus:

Focus is essential for many things that we do in order to keep us safe. The law on phones in cars tells us that but did you know studies have shown that people who talk on their phones during long journeys take longer to get there? When I take a class, if I don’t close down all the tabs in my brain apart from the ‘class tab’ mistakes tend to happen. You will have experienced this if you attend classes. Now you know it is not lack of preparation, it is a multi-tasking brain. You see, it doesn’t work!!

Relationships suffer:

Hands up if you have ever started a conversation either on the phone or worse still, face to face with every intention of giving the person you are with quality time but end up trying to cook, email, check your phone, start watching other people…..the list goes on. Sometimes we get away with it but rarely will the person we are talking to not notice and feel aggrieved. You have both lost out so there are no winners.

Why should we stop doing this?

Multitasking reduces our efficiency and performance because our brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When we try to do two things at once, our brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. Research also shows that, in addition to slowing us down, multitasking lowers our IQ……..who knew?!

Single-tasking:

Why is single tasking better than multi-tasking? Look at these reasons and if any of them appeal to you, give it a go.

IT USES LESS ENERGY – Did you know our brains consume more energy than any other part of our body. The constant shifting of attention is more taxing on the brain’s energy.

SINGLE-TASKING PROMOTES SELF-DISCIPLINE – Distractions, may seem pleasant at the time, but they cause us to “give in” to them. When we “give in,” we are effectively handing over our self-control. I like this quote ” self-control is the sibling of self-discipline.”

SINGLE-TASKING STRENGTHENS US AGAINST DISTRACTIONS – We teach ourselves self-control by practicing single-tasking.

SINGLE-TASKING IMPROVES OUR ATTENTION SPAN – We build resistance to internal or external distractions and are no longer slaves to distracting thoughts. Studies show that the average attention of a human is 8 seconds!! Let’s not be average 🙂

SINGLE-TASKING MAKES US HAPPIER – Quality time is something we all cherish whether it be with family, friends or on our own. We can only get maximum enjoyment from something if we give it our full attention.

SINGLE-TASKING IMPROVES OUR COMMUNICATION – Ever mentally ‘disappeared’ during a conversation? We cannot be thoughtful, respectful and present (an effective communicator) unless we give another person our full attention.

SINGLE-TASKING IMPROVES OUR RELATIONSHIPS – Is anything more important than our personal and professional relationships! Multi-tasking negatively affects our relationships for all the reasons listed above.

The human brain is not designed to multi-task so why do we keep trying?

We are expected to be busy all the time these days, so let’s get busy improving our lives.

About the Author

Having been involved in fitness all my life but never being competitive, I was fascinated to learn how simple it is to stay in shape without entering the world of the gym fanatic or elite athlete. So after 17 years managing the swimming school and taking rowing classes at Newton Abbot Leisure Centre, I decided it was time to do something that would give me an even greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction.

I studied the mechanics of exercise versus shape and began to understand why so many people who have exercise routines that sometimes seem excessive, never see a change in their shape.

I set up Tessfit which tackles this conundrum and it is a real mix and match offering between nutrition and weight management advice, fitness classes and personal training.
I now work from home and run my classes at Steves Gym in Newton Abbot. It is a great balance and I apart from loving my work I also get to spend plenty of valuable time with my family.
tess@tessfit.co.uk.

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Multi-tasking or Multi-mistaking?