Working Wounded: When Multitasking Goes Wrong

March 7, 2008 — -- Dear WOUNDED: I feel like the old plate spinner on Johnny Carson at work. How can I keep it all spinning without spinning out of control?

[Hello. Yes, I'm talking to you, dear reader. I see you texting, taking calls and trying to read this column. This topic is too important to try to multitask your way through it. Focus and you just may be surprised at what you'll learn.]

ANSWER: Let me begin with a personal multitasking story gone horribly wrong. I was getting ready for a TV interview and racing to brush my hair, fix my shirt and grab the mouthwash. It's amazing the similarity between travel containers of mouthwash and Woolite. That's right — I gargled the detergent. There were no bubbles visible, but I'd never recommend a mouthful of Woolite.

Although most of us are big multitaskers, this column will take a hard look at its dark side. For more, check out "Brain Rules," by John Medina (Pear Press, 2008).

Even though our brain is still the most powerful computer on earth, it can only focus on one thing at a time. It's time to realize the brain is a single-tasker. Often we feel that we're doing several things simultaneously, but studies show that our brains are handling these many tasks sequentially—that's right, one task at a time.

Multitasking feels essential because we believe it allows us to move multiple projects forward at the same time. It's a necessity in today's frantic and fast-moving workplace, right? There is only one problem when we multitask: Each task takes longer to complete. And we make more mistakes in the process.

Studies show that errors go up by 50 percent and projects can take 50 percent longer when we are trying to do more than one thing at a time. That 10-minute project just became 15. Plus, a study by Microsoft shows that it takes employees 20 minutes to return to a task after being interrupted and responding to an e-mail. Tick-Tock on thinking that multitasking is saving time.

Not that I'm here to totally burst your bubble. There are times when we can do more than one thing at a time effectively. Simplicity is the key here. Tasks need to be more mundane and less about the mind and especially memory. For example, many of us can file while we talk on the phone. Hey, I'm from Jersey, and the ABC's are rote for me. But on the other hand, most of us wouldn't want to have brain surgery while our doctor talked to his broker on the phone. If you're going to tackle lots of things at one time, look for chores requiring little concentrated thought or memory.

Remember your first task is to be a good human. This is the forgotten area of multitasking. Sure you can try to do a performance review while answering your e-mail. But mistakes in multitasking don't just happen with numbers and letters, they happen with people too. When you type your instant message while talking with someone you do manage to send two messages and both of them are instant. One of those messages is, 'You're not important enough to receive my attention.'

Multitasking can be a true asset, but if not contained properly it leaves a poor taste in everyone's mouth!

Jonathan B. Spira, chief analyst at Basex, a business-research firm, estimates the cost of interruptions to the American economy at nearly $650 billion a year.

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Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. He'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than he does. His books include "The Boss's Survival Guide" and "Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide." Send your questions or comments to him via: bob@workingwounded.com.

ABCNEWS.com publishes a new Working Wounded column every Friday.This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.