Multitasking or task switching, what's the difference anyway?
By Linda Jarnhamn, Founder flow2thrive.
‘‘Would it be ok to multitask, just a little bit… every now and then…… would that work?’’
I’ve been pondering a lot on a conversation I had with a client just before the end of last year: ‘‘Are we multi-tasking, or are we simply switching between tasks a lot? What is the difference, and what difference does it make?’’
The ability to manage multiple tasks, using multiple devices has become the illustrative image of human productivity. I vividly remember a client back in Dubai, exactly 10 years ago. I came up to her desk and she was on three calls at the same time; on Skype, on her mobile and on her landline - all at the same time.
Fast forward to today, landlines and Skype are pretty much considered antique pieces of technology (Skype what? I can hear some of you think), yet multi-tasking is still common practice - despite increasing awareness of the fact that it doesn’t do any good for our productivity.
‘‘One post pandemic study found that 99% of respondents admitted that they often multi-task whilst being in Teams or Zoom meetings. 99%’’
Considering that the brain cannot fully focus on two things at the same time - it goes without saying what this does to the ‘‘productivity’’ of a meeting. Add the possibility to have a Virtual Copilot attending a call for you - and there you go. It’s pretty obvious why most people are unhappy about the number and quality of the meetings they have to attend.
Despite a lot of recent attention highlighting the negative effects of multi-tasking, the vast majority of the working population still pride themselves on being able to do several things at the same time. Terms like “multitasking” and “task-switching” are also often used interchangeably, yet referring to the same activity. This is important to clear out, as they represent distinct cognitive processes with different implications for productivity, performance and mental workload.
Understanding the science behind these behaviors can help us be more efficient (read spend less time working, producing better outcomes), and reduce the negative impact of cognitive overload on our brains.
Let’s break down the two terms:
Multitasking
Multitasking refers to performing two or more tasks at the same time. However, true multitasking is rare. Most tasks (when multi-tasking) require overlapping cognitive resources, making simultaneous execution nearly impossible for complex (e.g. focus and analytical) tasks.
Let’s take the example of writing emails whilst participating in a video meeting. This strains the same linguistic and attentional resources, and research has consistently highlighted that this can lead to increased risk of errors, poor decision making and reduced quality of work, which can be incredibly costly (yet hard to estimate the monetary value of) if you’re in e.g. the energy, mining or financial sectors.
So, when might multitasking actually work?
Simple, habitual tasks like walking, cooking or listening to background music can often be multitasked effectively, but cognitively demanding activities should be tackled with full focus. Research also reveals that what we often refer to as multitasking is actually task switching, in disguise. For example, listening to music while cooking may be feasible because these tasks draw on separate cognitive domains (auditory and motor).
This is why carefully crafted habits in your day-to-day life can be so powerful for saving energy as the brain uses much less energy when performing habitual tasks than when focusing. Thus, if we have to think about what to bring to work and look for things every morning, that will consume more brain energy than if we simply (out of habit) pick up the things we need and go.
So, whilst multitasking may create the illusion of being productive, it actually adds time to your day and increases the risk of errors - by about 50% according to one study. This is why I believe we don’t have an issue with too much work.
We have an issue with inefficient use of brain energy.
Task Switching
Task switching involves alternating attention between two or more tasks, typically in sequence. Unlike multitasking, task-switching acknowledges the brain’s limitations in handling concurrent activities, but still comes with significant cognitive costs (i.e. consumes a lot of brain energy). It’s the same as if you accelerate and break a lot with you car, it will consume more petrol.
Switching from one task to another requires the brain to reallocate cognitive resources, update working memory, and inhibit the previous task. This process, while essential for adaptability, results in “switch costs.” An important point to consider here is the key role that working memory play when switching tasks, and how stress tends to impact our working memory negatively. Thus, the more stressed you are, the worse you’ll become at efficiently switching between tasks.
In summary, science shows that excessive task-switching can lead to
Slower reaction times and higher error rates due to the time and mental effort required to disengage from one task and engage with another
Higher cognitive load and mental fatigue as the brain will consume a lot of additional energy switching between tasks
Reduced overall efficiency (= more time doing your work), and the more similar or complex the tasks, the higher the cognitive cost of switching between them
Whilst task switching is sometimes unavoidable, in some jobs (as in the case of my client) this is pretty much the name of the game, so instead of fighting a system, you might simply be better off developing strategies like grouping tasks, scheduling focused work periods, minimising distractions, and make sure you take frequent mental breaks to reduce its negative impact.
Some practical applications and recommendations
Prioritise focus: For difficult tasks, focus on one activity at a time to maximise accuracy and efficiency, and make sure you do this is a space where you can work uninterrupted. Easy, you’ve heard it many times, yet do you do it?
Minimise, or chunk up, task-switching: Limit unnecessary switches by scheduling uninterrupted work blocks and group similar tasks together. We’re back to prioritising focusing on one thing at a time.
Reserve multitasking for simple or more automatic activities where different brain networks can be used e.g. either so that one activity is performed out of habit, or uses the motor cortex (the part of the brain that controls movement) and the other uses your brain’s executive network to do some focused thinking: walk and talk, walk and think, cook and think, clean and think.. are just some simple examples.
Kids are not for the office. Potentially controversial for some, but being interrupted by a child will have the same effect on your brain as being interrupted by a colleague. Ignoring a child whilst working, might also have it’s own set of consequences (yet, rarely talked about). Thus, when working from home it’s important to have clear rules and signs for when it’s ok to get interrupted and when it’s not.
Plan your breaks carefully. This is key to re-set your brains energy level. Give your brain active recovery, go for a short walk, just stand outside, grab a coffee, use a recharge room for 10 minutes, and if you have back to back meetings, just a one minute close your eyes micro-break is better than nothing!
If you’d like to know more about how to reduce risk and enhance productivity through more efficient ways of working send us an email or check out this page
Sources
Multitasking often leads to diminished accuracy and slower task completion due to cognitive overload (Rubinstein et al., 2001).
Tasks that rely on distinct cognitive resources are more likely to be performed simultaneously without significant degradation (Strayer & Drews, 2007).