Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
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Multitasking
It is sometimes considered that multitasking is an efficient, if not clever way of going about our work. "Let's get lots done, all at once!" But if you really want to get things done quickly, the answer is do not multitask. And if you want to do things well, efficiently and without mistakes, then do one thing at a time.
Yet, how often do you see people trying to do several things at once? Reading a report or writing emails while on the phone. If you're on the other end of the line, all you can hear in the background is tap tap, 'Uh-uh, Maybe, fine'. When this is happening, you don't feel that the other person is engaging with you, and you're right.
Research shows that although we think we are doing several things at the same time, we are not. At least we are not giving our attention to more than one thing at a time. It just is not possible for the brain to do this. However, it is possible for certain actions to be performed 'unthinkingly' and automatically, while the brain attends to something else. But this process will not give good quality results, it can lead to mistakes, and in some cases death. Let me explain.
Within our brain we have a central control or 'executive Control' that is associated with prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex. These interrelated cognitive processes establish priorities among tasks and allocate the mind's resources to them. Everything we do, from thinking, calculating to any physical action involves specific mental resources that are monitored and controlled by the 'Executive Control'. Research suggests that this executive control involves two distinct, complementary stages: goal shifting, where we choose to do one thing instead of another. So one controlling part of the brain is switched off and another is switched on. Both stages help people unconsciously switch between tasks. We get the impression that we are doing two or more things at once, but we are actually only 'thinking' about one. Some movements may be so automatic that they can be performed 'habitually', but are likely to be of poor quality and mistakes can easily happen.
When our brain switches from one activity, thought pattern or calculation to another, the actual switching process takes time...several tenths of a second. The more complex the tasks, the longer the time involved in switching. If tasks are unfamiliar, the switching takes longer, and as we become more familiar with the task, the switching becomes quicker.
As all of the thousands of switching back and forth between brain functions for tasks take time, they add up significantly. And although we may feel that we are getting 'two jobs done at once and more quickly' we are not and indeed they may take longer.
Such multitasking can be hazardous in certain situations requiring the use of equipment or while driving and using a mobile phone. The time it takes for our brain to switch from thinking about the telephone conversation back to the road situation while driving can lead to accidents. If my calcalculations are right, 3/10 second at 60mph equates to about 30 feet travelled without conscious awareness.
If we want to get jobs done well, to avoid mistakes and accidents, it makes sense to do one thing at a time and give it our whole attention. We are likely to get them done quicker too. Paying attention to what we are doing properly, also gives us a chance to ensure that we are 'using ourselves' well in terms of avoiding unhealthy tensions and postural problems. If we are more aware of what we are doing we can keep our neck free, our posture more upright and maintain better health. Mindlessness always brings about 'habitual' methods of doing things that are most likely riddled with unhelpful tensions and patterns of use. Unthinking use will reinforce the poor 'manner of use' just as well as good awareness and practice can bring about improvements.
If we think of one thing at a time, do one task at a time, we will still get the jobs done, probably less frenetically, probably more quickly, accurately with fewer mistakes, and probably at less cost to our own health and well-being int the process.
