The Brokenness of Multitasking
Can you: (1) tap your head, (2) pat your stomach, (3) make a circular motion with your right foot, and (4) blow a bubble with bubble gum at the same time?
Stop reading this article for a moment… try it.
Yeah, me either. Complete and abject failure. I can do 2 of 4 and occasionally 3 of 4… but never… never as in never never all 4 at the same time.
This past summer (defined as 6/1 to 9/1) I gave myself a sabbatical from social media (defined as blogging, podcasting, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest). My biggest lesson from being “away” from social media… the concept of multitasking is both a lie (that we tell ourselves, others and we allow others to tell us) and it isn’t all that effective.
Let me explain.
When you try to do two “valuable” things at once… something gives. Build a pivot table in Excel while at the same time practice for your presentation for the board tomorrow. Can’t be done.
Turns out, you can’t do both at the same time. The lines of demarcation are what defines what is and isn’t valuable. And “valuable” is subjective in nature. If something, a task, a person, a conversation, a moment, etc. is truly important, then it deserves your full attention. Period.
On this we can agree, right?
So why do we allow multitasking at work and, in particular, why do we allow it during critical moments at work? Why do we allow poor behavior to persist in our organization and/or on our very team? Well, truthfully, it’s because we haven’t come to grips with the fact that we can’t do it all. We still think we’re super human. We think we can “listen in” on an important conversation while staring at our phone and/or reviewing “important” email, funny cat videos, Facebook status updates, etc.
We’re the problem. Wait, no… you’re the problem.
Get over the hurt of that last sentence. We all know it’s true. Time for change… start by not lying to yourself anymore. You are indeed human. You make mistakes and one of them is thinking that somehow you’re the master of multitasking. You aren’t… so stop that.
Here are three things from my social sabbatical that will be helpful…
(1) No devices at meetings. Check that… no phones, tablets and/or laptops at any of your meetings. Period… outlaw them. If the meeting is important enough to have, then it should be important enough to have 100% of your attention. Of course, that begs the question of are you having important meetings or not. Might need to check into that. Sarcasm aside… start with your approach to meetings. Fix your behavior as it relates to meetings then fix all the folks around you. As you do this, you’ll notice that you get increasingly frustrated at those that haphazardly try to multitask during your meetings. That frustration is an indicator that you’re on the right path.
(2) No phones during IRL conversations. You’d think this was common sense but alas it isn’t. When you are with another human being… put your phone down and/or away from your tempted eyes. B.F. Skinner would be proud of you. Choose to “be” with that person. 100% with them. When the conversation reaches a diminished return (define that as you wish) then end it and move on to others things. The hardest part of this isn’t the phone thing btw it’s the ending conversations effectively part. In any case, start with your approach to IRL conversations. Explain it to folks if you like… it makes it easier to focus on them for the moment. Then require it from folks you talk with. If we’re going to talk, then I want us both to commit to this conversation. M’kay?
(3) Create workable social media windows. Times where you’ll be active (consumer, voyeur, producer, over-sharer, etc.) and times where you won’t be active. Social media can be (and for most is) distracting. Don’t get me wrong… the things that happen via social are also rewarding and valuable. No argument on that front… just when solid boundaries aren’t in place… can be distracting. Especially if you are “in it” 24/7. So game the game by creating windows… for instance 7-8 am and/or 5-6 pm. These would be the windows where you open up social and do what you like… read, comment, like, follow, friend, share, etc. When the window closes… then close out the apps. For me and my Type A personality, I use social time as a reward for getting other stuff done. Like most of you, I have a to-do list that is relentless and unachievable. When I cross things off my list, I reward myself by giving myself some time via social. Might not work for everyone but works for me. To that end, create a workable window strategy.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, find the breakpoints of multitasking in your life. Find what works best for you… your personality, your situation, etc. Be completely honest with yourself about multitasking… that’s where you’ll discover the lie that’s been perpetrated on us all. Multitasking is a joke… and I’m not laughing any more.
William is the CEO of HR consultancy Tincup & Co.
William is one of the country’s leading thinkers on social media application for human resources, an expert on adoption of HR technology and damn fine marketer. William has been blogging about HR related issues since 2007. He’s a contributor to Fistful of Talent, HRTechEurope and HRExaminer and also co-hosts a daily HR podcast called DriveThruHR. Tweet him @williamtincup and check him out on Facebook and LinkedIn. Not up to speed in the social media game? Reach out via email.
William serves on the Board of Advisors for Smarterer, Insynctive, Causecast, Work4Labs, PeopleReport, Jurify, AppLearn, StrengthsInsight, The Workforce Institute, PeopleMatter, SmartRecruiters, Ajax Workforce Marketing and is a 2013 Council Member for The Candidate Experience Awards. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Chequed.
William is a graduate of the University of Alabama of Birmingham with a BA in Art History. He also earned a MA from the University of Arizona and a MBA from Case Western Reserve University.