How Multitasking Stunts Your Self-Growth

Feb 20

I’m trying to remember the last time I was fully paying attention to something. Truly mindful of what I was doing. Actually present and fully committed to the person or task at hand.

The answer is definitely not during my last Zoom call. Once I joined and as I waited for folks to show up, I checked my phone. I only meant to briefly check a message, but from there, I got distracted and starting liking posts. Much more entertaining than the awkward lull that is a virtual conversation that hasn’t started yet.

Even after the meeting started, my mind wandered elsewhere. The topic discussed didn’t really concern me, so my thoughts were trapped by a mix of to-do’s, ideas, and absolute randomness.

And when I say my mind wanders, I mean my mind wanders until it’s lost and I’m overwhelmed. How should I respond to that email I got earlier? Did I eat breakfast yet? When’s the last time I checked in on my mom? Is it someone’s birthday today that I’m missing? Have I even gone outside yet today?

Every thought is not only a new to-do, but also takes away from my ability to be completely mindful of the situation I’m in.

I find that I’m most aware during 1-on-1 in-person conversations or when I’m doing some creative project. When are you most mindful? Where could you be more mindful?

I think about this every time I chat with my parents. Sometimes, they’ll hop into a conversation with me when I’m mid-task or have my head in the clouds, so I’m not completely mindful of our interactions. I feel guilty afterward because I know that one day, I’ll be grasping onto the interactions I can remember with them.

Keep in mind that it’s nearly impossible to hold a memory of something you weren’t completely present for.

If you want to remember your interactions with others, be present.

If you want others to remember their interactions with you, be present.

The notifications? The phone? The [fill in whatever you’re commonly distracted by]? It can wait. But how you make others feel in any given moment cannot be put on hold.

By dividing our attention and only giving a piece of it, we’re not giving our whole selves to those we interact with. Don’t let someone judge you based on your divided attention. Don’t form a reputation based on your divided attention.

Give your authentic self a chance to learn and grow by presenting yourself to the world in a way that is completely, wholeheartedly you.

Multitasking in a Virtual World

Something that I believe folks are getting increasingly bad at is mindfulness during virtual meetings. Myself, included (please re-read intro for evidence). But even when meeting with friends, I find myself distracted by notifications and other things moving around on the screen.

My advice? Turn off any and all notifications. Make your meeting window full-screen and really try to mimic an in-person interaction as much as possible.

Notifications are an absolutely scam, by the way. Ever heard of “classical conditioning”?

Ivan Pavlov coined this term when he realized dogs did not react once food was placed in front of them, but instead long before that when they heard footsteps coming because they assumed food would follow. They were conditioned to start salivating for food whenever they heard footsteps.

Don’t let Pavlov control your saliva. If you’d like full control of your phone and desktop usage, turn off notifications and be mindful of the distractions you can control.

Multitasking Exercise

I signed up for a mindfulness course at work and one activity really changed my perspective on multitasking. You’ll need something to write with and something to write on.

Part 1:

Draw four lines on the paper (if you’re using lined paper, hop to step 2).
You’re going to time yourself for this next one. When you’re ready, start the clock and
On line 1, write down “I am a great multitasker”
Then, on line 2, write down numbers 1–20.

How’d you do? Jot that time down.

Part 2:

You’re going to time yourself again. Read these instructions before starting the clock:
On line 3, you’ll write “I am a great multitasker” and on line 4, you’ll write down numbers 1–20. Same output as step 2. BUT here’s the catch: you MUST alternate which line you’re writing on between characters. AKA if you’ll write “I” on line 3, then “1” on line 4, then “a” on line 3, then “2” on line 4.
When you’re ready, refresh your timer, start the clock, and take a swing at it.

How’d you do? Jot that time down.

Reflection

What did you notice? If you’re human, Step 3 should’ve taken much more time than Step 2.

The disclaimer here is that multitasking isn’t always a bad thing. But sometimes it is.

It makes us overall slower at completing tasks because we are rewiring our brains to context-switch every time we pick up something new. Next time you have a list of tasks to complete, consider their priority and try to complete them one-at-a-time with undivided attention.

Unconvinced? Then let’s briefly chat about how multitasking impacts your brain.

A Stanford Health study by Clifford Nass suggests that folks who are considered heavy multitaskers struggle to sort relevant information from irrelevant details. They struggle to switch from one task to another. And even when chronic multitaskers focus on a single task, their brains were not as effective or efficient.

By stretching yourself thin, you’re literally damaging your long-term cognitive abilities. Yes, in the short-term when you’re multitasking. But also long-term, when you’re just handling one task. [1]

Love Your Brain

Please, please love your brain. Protect those cognitive functions with these actionable next steps to try:

Be mindful of when you’re paying attention and even more so when you’re not. Reprioritize and figure out which one task you should focus on.
Limit what you’re doing in any given moment to no more than two tasks.
When you dive into a task, stick with it for at least 25 minutes. After those 25 minutes are up, take a short 5-minute stretch break and then continue or start a new task. This is also referred to as the Pomodoro Technique.

At the end of the day, your brain is everything. Damaging that is damaging all of you, and therefore every interaction you have with others.

The solution? Pay attention. Be present and in the moment. Insert yourself authentically and wholeheartedly into situations so that you — the real and undivided you — can reap the benefits.

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