The myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw

August 19th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

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Multitasking – Poor ergonomics for the brain

A book review by Steven Aitchison

I have long been an advocate of ‘One task at a time’ and envied people who could multitask and seemed to do it well. That was until I read a book by Dave Crenshaw called ‘The Myth of multitasking – How doing it all gets nothing done’

The book has the premise that multitasking is actually counterproductive and all tasks taken together would actually take longer than they would if they were done individually.

Picture the scene:

You are at the office working away on a piece of work which needs to get done, your email client suddenly pings alarming you to the fact that someone has sent you an email, what do you do? Well if you’re like most people curiosity will get the better of you and you open up the email. Then someone comes in to tell you about the latest gossip from the weekend. Someone else comes in and joins the conversation and pretty soon you’re talking about other topics which have branched off from the original conversation. You then get a phone call saying someone needs you for something in 10 minutes. Another phone call and you add a calendar item to remind you that you have another appointment in 2 hours time. Someone else comes into your office and the gossip continues so you kill ten minutes to go to the appointment as there is not much point in getting back to your original task as you won’t finish it anyway.

That’s a typical scene in an office and by no means and extreme one. Look at the scenario again and ask what has been achieved. The original task that was started at the beginning of the day has not been finished. The gossip hasn’t achieved anything. The email wasn’t attended to and within the space of an hour or two you have stressed yourself out as you have not really achieved anything for half a day and you have to work on to get some peace and finish it.

Dave Crenshaw states that this is not multitasking it is actually ‘switch tasking’ whereby you are switching from one task to another. In other words you are stopping what you were originally doing to start something else and this goes on and on until you eventually have to switch and get back to your original task.

Try this exercise

To give you an illustration of how counterproductive multitasking is. try this exercise

Time yourself doing each exercise:

Exercise 1

Get your mobile phone out and open up your text messaging box. What you are going to do is spell out the words

‘Multitasking is counterproductive’

However, after each letter add a corresponding number, for example:

M1 U2 L3 T4 I5 A6 S7 K8 etc etc

Exercise 2

Now what to do, is do the task individually. For example on your mobile phone spell out the words:

‘Multitasking is counterproductive’ and after you have finished this type out the numbers 1 – 31 (that’s how many letters there are in the sentence; multitasking is counterproductive).

What you’ll notice is that the 2nd exercise was done a lot quicker than the first exercise.

What this crude illustration is showing is that when we are switching between the two tasks our brains are not fully engaged on either task and we have to jump between the two of them which takes longer and more mistakes are made. The second exercise is straight forward and is done a lot quicker as we can concentrate more easily on each task.

This is what is happening when we are supposedly ‘multitasking’ we are constantly switching between tasks and ultimately it takes us longer to achieve all the tasks than it would if we were concentrating on one task at a time.

But I do lots of multitasking, like driving and listening to voice messages on the mobile

This is the question I had in my mind when I was reading the book. Dave Crenshaw explains that this is not multitasking this is actually ‘Background tasking’. Background tasking is when we are doing two or three things which do not require a lot of mental effort. In other words some things that we do everyday become automatic and do not require mental effort, like driving your car to and from work. As you drive the same route everyday you are not really exerting any mental effort and do not need to concentrate as much as you would if it was a new road you were driving. Therefore our brain can do the background task whilst we attend to something else that requires a little more mental effort.

The Book – ‘The Myth of multitasking – How doing it all gets nothing done’

The book itself is a great little book and certainly opened my eyes to the myth of multitasking. It’s only 138 pages long and can be read in a few hours.

The story itself follows a consultant, Phil, who is working with a client to try and help with her time management. What transpires is that the CEO of the company, Helen, has many areas in her business life that need attention and the problems stem from her trying to multitask and her erroneous thinking that she manages her time well by juggling everything at once. Phil shows her the error of her thinking by giving examples, exercises and showing her the best way to work. What happens after she has changed her way of working is that there is a more calm, more attention giving boss who everyone can work with and she passes the knowledge down the line which makes for a better company all round.

This is sure to become one of those books that all managers and CEO’s have like ‘Who moved my cheese’. It’s a little book with a big message and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a lot of jobs to do and are trying to manage it with multitasking.

About the author:

As a highly sought-after business coach and time management expert to some of the country’s top business executives, Dave Crenshaw has expanded his reach to that of an author and speaker. He began his coaching career in 1998 as the youngest independent consultant for
one of the world’s largest small business coaching firms.

Crenshaw received his B.S. in Business Management-Entrepreneurship from Brigham Young University, one of the nation’s top Entrepreneur programs. As the creator of TimeGym, a productivity and time management coaching firm, Crenshaw has helped business owners worldwide.

Crenshaw is one of the foremost experts on the epidemic known as multitasking. As a business owner himself, he formerly experienced the struggle of keeping focused.
Dave recognized that he needed to re-evaluate how he organized his time. Consequently, he developed the Time-Gym system his Certified Time Coaches use to help clients maintain balance in their lives. He is the author of The Myth of Multitasking: How Doing It All Gets Nothing Done, available in North America in hardcover August 18, 2008 by international publisher Jossey-Bass.

Crenshaw’s often humorous and entertaining approach always hits right on the head with audiences. His speeches to audiences as large as 1,500 are described as lifechanging. Dave Crenshaw lives in the shadow of Utah’s Rocky Mountains with his wife, Katherine, and his son, Stratton.

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There Are 30 Responses So Far. »

Comment by Dave Crenshaw on 19 August 2008:

Thank you for the post, Steven.

Your readers are welcome to try a free online version of the multitasking exercise you mentioned, at:

http://davecrenshaw.com/exercise.html

All the best,
Dave

Comment by Hunter Nuttall on 19 August 2008:

That exercise is a great example of counterproductive multitasking! I don’t even have to try it to imagine how much harder it is to do M1 U2 etc.

Pingback by Ergonomics » Smokers' Corner on 19 August 2008:

[...] The myth of Multitasking by Dave CrenshawMultitasking – Poor ergonomics for the brain. A book review by Steven Aitchison. I have long been an advocate of ‘One task at a time’ and envied people who could multitask and seemed to do it well. That was until I read a book by Dave … [...]

Comment by DanGTD on 20 August 2008:

Great article.

Also, it seems that the time costs increase with the complexity of the tasks. So if this simple exercise takes so long (double the time), it will take significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks.

Comment by Stan Dubin on 22 August 2008:

Hi there. Was brought here by StumbleUpon.

I would respectfully disagree with Dave Crenshaw. The example in the beginning deals to a large degree with people wanting to gossip. I don’t consider this to be “tasking.” I consider gossip to be a distraction from getting things done in the workplace that need doing.

The example of M1, U2, etc. for me is an unrealistic example. It is not something I would do.

I have multi-tasked for many years now and it has definitely helped me get more done. I agree with the principle of pushing tasks through to a completion, but we are capable of addressing more than one thing at a time. Maybe not in the same exact moment of time, but in a given segment of time, I believe we are able to multi-task and accomplish more.

We just need to make sure we’re not taking on too many items in a given segment of time and of course, ensuring work distractions are kept to a minimum or eliminated completely.

Comment by Dave Crenshaw on 22 August 2008:

HI Stan

All I can say is: please read the book. I’ve had a lot of skeptics tell me that once they read the book, they fully understood the impact of their switchtasking and made some very positive changes.

Comment by Tracy Crowe on 22 August 2008:

I have often wondered about whether multi-tasking is really as efficient as it is cracked up to be. I liked that excersise you gave, it was good for proving the point. I think an important part of multi-tasking is not just that your brain can’t concentrate fully on any individual task but also that your brain has a new problem, which is worrying about how to get all these tasks done properly and feeling bad that there is no completion going on. Our minds need to feel “closure” before we can give the next thing any real attention.

Comment by Karl Staib - Your Work Happiness Matters on 24 August 2008:

I’ll admit that I get caught in multi-tasking. I try to stay focused, but my ADD loves to kick in at the most difficult times. I will pick up this book and give it a go. Every little bit helps.

Comment by Eid gifts to Pakistan on 29 August 2008:

well, if this simple exercise takes so long, it will take significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks.I liked that excersise you gave, it was good for proving the point.

Comment by Aibal's Psychology on 29 August 2008:

I respectfully disagree with the author. The M1 U2 T3 example is quite an irrelevant comparison for real-world multitasking. Also, the definition of multitasking is seemingly ambiguous, which makes the whole argument suspect.

The brain has separate routes for processing auditory and visual information. Cognitive psychologists refer to these elements as the phonological loop and the visual-spatial sketchpad. Humans are innately capable of multitasking if the right tasks are chosen. Such tasks must utilize a single path with minimal sharing of the other. Just look at the work of air traffic controllers to get an idea of what’s possible.

The office worker scenario describes an individual who is poorly organized, undisciplined, shows poor management over their time and resources and is heavily distracted by outside forces. This is not a valid assessment of an individual’s ability to multitask! Perhaps multitasking is better suited for more focused and higher functioning individuals.

Comment by Glenn on 29 August 2008:

Great article and the book should dispel the myth of how great multitasking is. You would not believe the number of arguments my wife and I have over me telling her not to try to multitask me that I am task orientated. LOL

Comment by Beecher Bowers on 31 August 2008:

Multitasking with simple tasks (the background tasking) can be productive. I’ve found some of my best work is when I can focus on one small task component at a time to get the project completed.

Comment by strachan on 1 September 2008:

thanks well to know it

Comment by Invest in REO Property on 2 September 2008:

Thank you for letting me know the Multitasking thing.. that is very helpful. I will surely share this to all my friends.

Comment by Automobile Transport on 3 September 2008:

Neat little exercise! I’m book marking this page so I can share it with some of my co-workers later! Thanks!

Comment by Motorcycle Fairings on 4 September 2008:

I was looking some helful information about it since multitasking or doing one thing at a time was getting frustrating for me. Thanks for the tips!!

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Comment by Sam@Real Estate Investor on 10 September 2008:

Thank you for the helpful information. Mutitasking thing is kinda cool.

Comment by TigerTom: Secured LoanShark on 13 September 2008:

At what point does multi-tasking become merely being frantic?

An example of multi-tasking: Sitting on the toilet while chewing gum and reading a newspaper at the same time.

[Heh heh heh]

Comment by christina on 26 September 2008:

VERY interesting post!! I like the exercise - definitely makes a point.

I’ve read that women are much better at multi-tasking than men. … wonder if the book hits on this at all…? … guess i’ll need to pick up a copy

Comment by dietloss on 28 September 2008:

Thanks for the great material. I like to switch between tasks even if it does eat up more time. I have a hard time focusing on one project for more than an hour, after that, I have to get away from it for a while. Instead of doing something useless, I switch to another productive task.

Comment by Jerry on 29 October 2008:

This is a very unique exercise. This is a great post! It provides you with all of the basic information that you need. Get in line with what you are looking for.

Comment by Busby SEO Test on 27 November 2008:

All I can say is: please read the book. I’ve had a lot of skeptics tell me that once they read the book, they fully understood the impact of their switchtasking and made some very positive changes.

Comment by soulja boy on 16 January 2009:

This is definitely a book I need to pick up in order for me to at least try and do well in school. Thank you for this find. Should help me some in school.

Comment by u2 fan on 9 February 2009:

I have found that mutlitaksing can be benificial in many circumstances but lacking the focus and dedocation needed for tasks that require excessive or frequent memory use and concentration -

Routine tasks or repeated combinations with slight variations have been proven to be quite easy for me to do while multitasking.

Thus saving me time and making a balance between dedicated tasking and multitasking…

Comment by Simeon on 14 March 2009:

This is a very good article! Multitasking is good as it can make you flexible to do things one at a time. If you still have a job you are lucky because with the economy we have today lost of people have already lost their job. Lots of people today are struggling just to meet their ends. Most of them are looking for institution that could help them especially when it comes on financial matters. ACORN is a slightly nutty organization. ACORN, a community organization group, founded by Wade Rathke, has started an empire of community activism that do things like pressure banks to make risky subprime loans and make them through its Self-Help bank partner, commit voter fraud, bully unions and get money from them, and they also commit acts that makes them guilty of rank hypocrisy. They’ve actually tried every method possible to pay their employees less than minimum wage, if at all. It doesn’t sound odd that an organization that wants higher wages for poor people to not pay their employees, does it? This ACORN fell a long way from the common sense tree.

Comment by melissa on 9 April 2009:

We live in a multi-tasking, fragmented environment; and we work in a knowledge-based, service-oriented profession. We are information rich and time poor; it is the scarcity of time that determines how much we can absorb and process in a looking at day. This is ubiquitous in knowledge-based professions and occupations - librarianship is but one example. The maze of issues and the massive cognitive input facing us on a daily basis can lead to discouragement or alternatively to an adrenalin rush, but what are the implications for how we function, and what strategies can we use to make life more manageable for ourselves? In short, what are the biological limitations of the human brain to absorb and process information, and to make rational, intelligent decisions in a situation of frequent distraction? payday loan canada

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