The ins and outs of multitasking at work
In a time when days seem to get shorter and workweeks longer, cramming a bunch of tasks into your workday might seem like the only realistic way to get things done. But when you are multitasking, are you really saving time?

more is less

Thinking that more can be done by tackling different tasks simultaneously is somewhat of a misconception. Technically, tasks can only be done one at a time, so loss of efficiency comes from the switch time between tasks.

"Switching time" is what brings down productivity over the long haul. It's obvious that anyone can answer the phone and filter their e-mail at the same time. But can you revise Q4's projected sales while planning your next meeting's agenda? Not likely.

If you think that making a simple to-do list is the foolproof solution, then you're the fool. It's not a matter of lumping actions together, assuming that the overall allocated time necessary will decrease as a result. Although that might be the case, the quality will suffer.

less is more

For example, if typing out a proposal for your regional manager takes 30 minutes, and guiding your intern through the logistics of database management requires another 30, then multitasking will probably take about 45 minutes.

Great, right? Wrong. Although the quality of your work is maximized when tasks are undertaken one at a time, multitasking decreases the quality. In other words, if the proposal write-up and the intern training can be done separately at 100%, then simultaneously, production might drop to 70%.

However, if the cost/benefit analysis works out and this 25% improvement in time overshadows the 30% decrease in quality, then you're in business.

Anyways, keep this statistical proof in mind, but remember the long-term effects of this action; your intern is likely to ask you about the ins and outs of database management again, since he didn't get it right the first time around.

And this, my friends, is the vicious cycle of multitasking.

To recap, the pro is that you can get more work done in less time, and the con is that the quality of the work will likely suffer.

who can multitask?

Certain positions are more prone to carry out multitasking, as their work requires them to be on top of many things at once. It's understandable that a restaurant manager must overlook the kitchen process, supervise waiters to make sure they get their orders right, guarantee that there will always be enough change in the cash register, and that he won't be short on staff for the early evening rush.

More jobs that require multitasking:

• Supervisors
• Team leaders
• Project managers

Although they are responsible for delegating some work, some of these tasks are important enough to be multitasked, rather than get handed down to subordinates.

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