By Marcie Callan
Everywhere you go these days, the buzzword seems to be "multitasking." Employers demand it, bloggers tell you how to do it, and bestsellers write about it. It's a must on every resume and interviewees across the land try to impress potential bosses with their multitasking skills. Why all the fuss?
It seems that in this hectic business culture of ours, the ability to do many things at once is considered a virtue. The concept of multitasking implies increased productivity and the ability to get more work out of fewer employees. Someone who can stay on top of multiple projects and juggle the demands of the typical workday, such as interruptions caused by a ringing telephone, beeping email inbox, and annoying chatty co-workers, is believed to be the archetypal worker bee.
Well, I say the whole idea is bunk. What good can possibly come out of demanding that employees take their energy and focus away from an important project and spread it thinner than butter on toast? How is dividing up one's time between ten tasks better than concentrating on just one? The short answer is: it's not.
Ok, ok. So all the pundits and experts out there say that multitasking is essential to surviving in today's business world. To get to the truth, let's examine the perceived versus the actual effects of multitasking:
Perception: Multitaskers Get More Work Done
Reality: Multitaskers LOOK like they're getting more work done. As they fly around the office from one project to the next, it certainly appears as though they have an awful lot to do. To some, this might even make the multitasker look more important than the methodical, focused worker who is simply sitting behind her desk.
Appearances can be deceiving, however, and the multitasking Tasmanian devil is not nearly as likely as the focused worker to get the job done right and on time.
Perception: Multitaskers Increase Productivity
Reality: Working on ten projects at once rather than one might seem more productive until you think critically about it. The quality of work performed by a diligent and focused professional is bound to be better than a professional stretched too thin among several projects.
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