The Fox News website has a nice summary of research into multitasking (task switching) and the impact it has on our ability to get things done. Always nice to have "official" outlets talk about this kind of thing. And I appreciate that they describe more of the nuance than simply "listening to music, doing homework, watching videos, and texting at the same time." 12 reasons to stop multitasking now | Fox News:
... chances are, you're not doing yourself (or your boss, or your friends and family) any favors by multitasking your way through the day. Research shows that it's not nearly as efficient as we like to believe, and can even be harmful to our health. Here are 12 reasons why you should stop everything you're doing—well, all but one thing—and rethink the way you work, socialize, and live your life.
Go ahead and click through to the article for their paragraph or two on each item. Here are their twelve reasons to stop:
- You're not really multitasking
- It's slowing you down
- You're making mistakes
- It's stressing you out
- You're missing out on life
- Your memory may suffer
- It's hurting your relationships
- It can make you overeat
- You're not actually good at it
- It's dampening your creativity
- You can't OHIO (OHIO = Only Handle It Once)
- It can be dangerous