103: The ONE Exception to My "No Multitasking" Rule

Is multitasking ever a good thing?

If you’ve been part of this community for a while you’ve heard me talk about how hard multitasking is for our brains (and why it takes up a ton of energy and time).

I’ve always said that if you want to be more productive and less stressed out - stop multitasking.

But you also know I’m a big fan of challenging our beliefs and assumptions, and recently I’ve been convinced there’s one situation where multitasking is a good thing.

Read on and I’ll explain how multitasking might be good if you struggle with procrastination, and the one situation where it’s okay to multitask.

That Time I Locked Myself in a Stairwell…Twice!

You’ve heard me tell the story before about how I locked myself in a stairwell twice last summer (it’s really a Nicole greatest hits at this point, right up there with the time I had to staple my pants together before the most important exam of my life - have you noticed a lot of my stories have to do with me being clumsy…)

Here’s the short version → last summer I locked myself in a stairwell at work twice in the same week! The second time I had to call my colleague to come rescue me because it was pouring rain and I would have had to walk all the way around the building in the rain with no jacket to get back inside,

How did this happen you might be wondering (and how did I make the same mistake twice in a week…) well I was doing a bunch of mental multitasking.

I was packing up at work and thinking about a million projects

the new course I was creating, my productivity formula group coaching program,
coaching clients,
what to make for dinner that night, and
whether I should pick up Allison before or after I got groceries…and I left my keys in my office and got stuck in the stairs - twice.

And this isn’t the only time multitasking has gotten me into trouble. Allison loves to tell the story of how I put her in the bathtub one day with her socks still on. She thought it was hilarious when it happened, and years later it still makes her laugh. What was I doing when I forgot to take her socks off before they got all wet? You guessed it, thinking about a million different things! Everything I wanted to get done that night after she went to bed, brainstorming project ideas for work, and the usual mental juggling we do as parents.

Why Mental Multitasking is So Tiring and Distracting

I’m sure you’ve noticed this before too. Maybe your kids are telling you stories about their day over dinner while you check emails from work, and all of a sudden your kids are saying “mom, you’re not listening!”. Or you’re trying to work on a project but your colleague across the room is watching cat videos on youtube and it keeps pulling your focus.

Mental multitasking is really hard for our brains. Your brain can’t actually multitask in this way. Yes you can walk and chew gum at the same time, but that’s not the multitasking most of us mean right?

When we think of multitasking we think of answering phone calls while writing reports, someone giving us a list of 10 things to pick up as we rush out the door and trying to remember them all, trying to stay focused on work when there are so many distractions.

That mental multitasking we can’t do.

Instead, your brain just switches really fast back and forth between the two tasks. You’re constantly shifting attention between your emails, and your kids' story, or between that client call and the report you’re trying to write at the same time.

The end result? Your brain is distracted and more likely to make mistakes like forgetting your keys or putting your kid in the tub with their clothes still on. Those mistakes are normal when we’re burning our brain resources with multitasking.

Even though multitasking feels like it’s making you more productive, it’s not. It burns your time and energy, and hurts your productivity in the long run.

Why I Decided there is 1 Time Multitasking is Okay

A while back I made a post on social media about why multitasking is such a bad habit and a colleague commented that they find multitasking helpful in one very specific situation. What’s the exception? When you would otherwise procrastinate or avoid the task completely.

Let me give you an example. You know how I feel about bookkeeping right? It’s probably one of my least favorite tasks. Weird because I come from a family of accountants and engineers, and I actually do love math and numbers, it’s the tediousness of the data entry that’s no fun for me. I avoid it as long as I can, and I grumble the whole time I’m staring at that stack of invoices that need to be organized and entered.

One way I make those tasks like bookkeeping that I really don’t love doing but I have to do more fun is by giving myself rewards.

I schedule time for bookkeeping, then once it’s done I go for a nice coffee or get myself something sweet - food is a good motivator for me, especially anything with chocolate or caffeine.
And that does work. Rewards are great motivators for our brains.
They help our brains learn super fast, and they can help you get started when you're procrastinating or avoiding.

But that colleague of mine got me thinking - can I use multitasking to help with my bookkeeping avoidance?

The other “reward '' I've given myself in the past for tasks like bookkeeping is to do my bookkeeping while I watch a movie or whatever show I’m binging at the time. I always thought of that as a reward → I get to watch this movie while I do this annoying data entry, and it motivated me to get it done. And it is a type of reward, but it’s also multitasking.

I’m using multitasking to my advantage here. Instead of avoiding updating my invoices forever and procrastinating until I'm super stressed and rushed to get it done, I multitask to make it more enjoyable. I do something I like (like watching tv or listening to music) while I do the task I’m procrastinating on. It helps boost my motivation to get started, and makes the task slightly less awful.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I’m sure multitasking does reduce my efficiency. I have no doubt I would be faster and make less typos with my bookkeeping if I worked in a quiet room with no distractions. But if the choice is never get started, or procrastinate for weeks, versus get it done albeit a bit less efficient, I’m okay with option B.

Is Multitasking a Good Strategy?

Most of the time no. It reduces your efficiency, makes you more likely to make mistakes, and can be stressful because your brain is trying to juggle a bunch of things at once.

The one exception = if you use multitasking to boost motivation for a task you would otherwise avoid or procrastinate on forever (and we know procrastinating can stress us out too right).

Multitasking with something fun, something you like to do, can help with motivation. It’s easier to get started if you pair that thing you don’t want to do with something that’s fun for your brain!

A Bonus Time-Saving Resource Just For You

Ever wished you had more time in your day? Check out my free workbook - Your Daily Productivity Checklist.

This free workbook will walk you through the steps I use to set up my day to maximize productivity so you can get more done in your day (without feeling totally overwhelmed or staying up all night to squeeze it all in!) you can download your copy by clicking here.

How To Use Multitasking To Stop Procrastinating In Your Own Life

Here’s my challenge for you this week - take a look at your to-do list and find the one task you’ve been procrastinating on. That one task that when you look at it you instantly want to do anything else.

Then ask yourself - how can I use multitasking to help me get started on this task?

Is there something slightly more fun that I can do at the same time that will get me out of procrastination mode. Maybe you’re like me and you put on a movie in the background and commit to working for as long as the movie runs. Or maybe you listen to an episode of this podcast while you work.

We know this is going to make your brain divide its focus, but the goal here is to get out of procrastination mode.

Multitasking with something you enjoy is fun for your brain. Once your brain feels good, it's easier to take action on that task you’re avoiding, even if it takes a little bit longer than it would if you focused on one thing at a time.

Show Highlights

[01:57] Last summer I locked myself in a stairwell twice in one week, all because of multitasking.

[02:24] What your brain is actually doing when you’re trying to multitask.

[05:27] The exception to the “no multitasking” rule.

[07:55] Multitasking is not a good strategy overall, but it can help you stop procrastinating.

[09:05] Your challenge for this week.

[10:06] A quick recap of the episode.

Subscribe Today!