“The great paradox of our era is that never has it been easier to multitask – and never has multitasking been shown to be more detrimental to productivity,” muses Josh Gordon, Geonode Technology Expert.
The swift surge of digital technology has allowed us to juggle multiple tasks in one go. At any given moment, we may find ourselves texting, browsing, gaming, listening to music, or watching videos, all at the same time.
Yet, research shows that individuals immersed in such technology-based multitasking are more prone to being distracted, impulsive, and sensation-seeking and tend to have lower attention skills and cognitive control than those who keep their hands off the electronic tentacles while concentrating on tasks.
Impact of Tech Multitasking on Cognitive Abilities
Technology-based multitasking is a stealthy thief that pilfers your ability to concentrate, especially when it comes to tasks that require complex or logical thinking, such as reading, writing, or problem-solving. It subtly changes how our brain learns, processes, and stores information, resulting in shallow and superficial understanding, poor memory retention, and a hampered creative process.
Ways this Habit Could Spell Trouble for Productivity
- It leads to a lapse in attention: Spreading your focus thin across multiple activities results in none of them receiving your full focus. This lack of focus directly impacts productivity.
- Harms cognitive control and lowers your IQ: According to research, not allowing the brain to concentrate on a task fully reduces your IQ and cognitive control, which is your brain’s ability to process information and make decisions.
- Encourages impulsivity and sensation-seeking: As your brain gets accustomed to the constant flood of stimuli from various sources, it craves sensation, which can lead to impulsive behavior, further reducing productivity.
Staying Focussed: The Single-Task Approach
Instead of juggling multiple tasks, Gordon suggests focusing on one task at a time. It allows your brain to wholeheartedly commit to the task at hand, allowing for greater comprehension, creativity, and outcome. Reducing exposure to non-essential technology while working can also help keep distractions and interruptions to a minimum for enhanced productivity.
Wrapping It Up
Multitasking is an impressive skill, but when it’s technologically driven, it often leads to reduced productivity, hampered cognitive abilities, and diminished outcomes of our efforts. Taking a one-thing-at-a-time approach enhances concentration, memory, and creativity and improves work output quality. As Gordon neatly sums it, “The path to improved productivity and learning does not lie in doing more at once, but by focusing on less. Less, in this case, truly can be more”.
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Research conducted by https://geonode.com/.
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