Mono-Tasking Versus Multi-Tasking What the Science Says

I’ve always found it hard to multi-task and always seen it as a weakness. HOWEVER, aha! Research has shown that doing more at once actually leads to doing less well; it yields better results in performance, memory, and even mental clarity. This sounded quite interesting….

The Cost of Task Switching
According to a study from the University of Michigan, switching between tasks can reduce productivity by up to 40%. Each shift requires your brain to refocus, causing a “switch cost” that adds up over time. While you might feel efficient juggling multiple tabs or tasks, your brain is constantly playing catch-up.

IQ and Focus Take a Hit
A study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard found that people distracted by emails and phone calls experienced a 10-point drop in IQ. That’s more than the impact of missing a night’s sleep.

Work Performance Suffers
Similarly, Stanford researchers discovered that heavy multitaskers performed worse on attention and memory tasks. They were more easily distracted and struggled to filter out irrelevant information.

So…the data says....
While multitasking feels productive, that might be an illusion. Mono-tasking leads to clearer thinking, faster results, and fewer mistakes. The brain works best when focused on a single task, and performance improves when distractions are minimized.

I’m a firm believer that everyone works differently and is ‘neuro-diverse’ – i.e. we are  individuals! (there’s a shocker!) and I definitely know some VERY effective multitaskers. But I've started to be a shameless mono-tasker now. (And the weight of inadequacy is off my back – nice!)

Too bad your performance has dropped because of reading this blog ;)