Multitasking has become an embedded part of our lives. It essentially means performing multiple tasks simultaneously. We all juggle several things at some point or the other. However, there are extreme and contrasting views about multitasking amongst people.
Does it reduce efficiency? Is it helpful in achieving bigger things? Does it facilitate speedy growth? Does it hinder the quality of work?
To answer these questions, let us analyze the pros and cons of multitasking so that ultimately you can decide for yourself whether or not the practice of multitasking is fruitful.
If performed efficiently, multitasking can help people achieve their goals and aims in a shorter time. Multitasking also increases the flexibility and adaptability of an individual. These skills are crucial to surviving in the fast pace of the world. This practice also allows people to focus on their personal life. It helps them maintain a work-life balance. For example, many parents can manage their family commitments and work pressure due to the habit of multitasking. This implies that multitasking helps inefficient time management and improved productivity. Multitasking overstimulates the brain’s function, resulting in a positive impact on the cognition of an individual. It helps the brain to retain information and makes it sharp.
Like there are two sides to a coin, multitasking has several disadvantages too. Multitasking can reduce the quality of work. Focusing on many things simultaneously results in not giving one’s best in a single task. The people who juggle different things are not able to reach their full potential. Multitasking is a huge hindrance to specialization. Specialization in a single task helps in the skill development of an individual as well. Another demerit of multitasking is a chronic distraction. When a person switches from one task to another, it often causes distraction and procrastination. Moreover, multitasking leads to misplaced priorities. This happens because an individual never prioritizes one work over the other and hence, their overall efficiency is also reduced.
It is safe to say that multitasking has both thorns as well as petals. Many people believe that multitasking and efficiency can never go hand in hand. On the contrary, the people who have been practicing multitasking for a long time, are very comfortable with the idea of doing various tasks simultaneously. They believe that multitasking has benefited them in the long run. In the end, it’s very difficult to put multitasking in black or white light. The practice of multitasking is subjective and depends on one’s perspective of it.