{"id":8371,"date":"2011-03-28T06:25:33","date_gmt":"2011-03-28T13:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/?p=8371"},"modified":"2014-10-18T16:26:02","modified_gmt":"2014-10-18T21:26:02","slug":"5-life-lessons-learned-from-multitasking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/5-life-lessons-learned-from-multitasking\/8371\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Life Lessons Learned from Multitasking"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"a296a24fa2fc69ef5487857f02f111e8\" data-index=\"9\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Single Post readerboard -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8207522353004717\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1144967431\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-15569\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/six-sigma-consultant-pointatob.jpg\" alt=\"what multitasking has taught me\" width=\"360\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/six-sigma-consultant-pointatob.jpg 360w, https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/six-sigma-consultant-pointatob-300x253.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/>I&#8217;ve written about the <a title=\"myth of multitasking\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/multi-tasking-leads-to-lower-productivity\/375\/\">Myth of Multitasking<\/a> before; but despite knowing that Multitasking often doesn&#8217;t lead to good outcomes, I find it difficult to stop. So, instead of reprimanding myself too harshly, I thought I&#8217;d document the 5 Life Lessons I&#8217;ve Learned from Multitasking.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Multitasking Means That Things Will Take Longer<\/h2>\n<p>I wrote about this in 2007, even showing how Multitasking and some knowledge on Queueing and Little&#8217;s Law can help us see quantitatively that tasks will take longer. Despite that, I still multi-task and reap the consequences of tasks taking longer than they should.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Multitasking Means More Mistakes and Errors<\/h2>\n<p>One outcome I&#8217;ve learned from Multitasking is that when I switch from one task to another, I usually forget what I was doing, how I was doing it, and so I have to try to remember, which often results in having to learn the task over again. And, when I switch back to the task I just switched from, I go through the same re-learning process.<\/p>\n<p>All of this re-learning and remembering elements and steps of the tasks usually results in me making errors &#8211; indeed, these errors are probably normal in the <a title=\"learning curve\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/the-learning-curve\/362\/\">learning curve<\/a> cycle but also completely avoidable if I had chosen to start a task and finish a task before beginning a new one.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Multitasking Leads to Stress and Anxiety<\/h2>\n<p>As much as I hate to admit it, some jobs require Multitasking. As a father of 9 kids, ages 13 and under (we&#8217;ve <a title=\"how to adopt a child\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/we-adopted-again\/496\/\">adopted children<\/a>), I often have to Multi-task. Here are some common task switching activities I&#8217;ve done as a dad:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>While changing a diaper, I&#8217;ve also stopped other kids from fighting over a toy.<\/li>\n<li>While making lunch for the kids, I have to comfort a child that just got hurt from wrestling his big brother.<\/li>\n<li>While tucking the little kids into bed, I have to remind the big kids that we don&#8217;t always need to have dessert after dinner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You get my point.<\/p>\n<p>All the while, Multitasking adds stress and anxiety to a job that is already full of stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Multitasking Leads to Tasks Left Undone<\/h2>\n<p>While I might not be old in age, I sure feel very old in years. As a consequence, I sometimes forget what I was doing. So, when I switch tasks, I usually forget what I was doing and sometimes the task I just switched from doesn&#8217;t get done.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Multitasking Leads to Damaged Relationships<\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;ve learned that when my mind and attention is on something else other than on the person I&#8217;m currently with, they don&#8217;t feel loved, listened to, or appreciated. This is one that I&#8217;ve really tried to do less of, because when people and feelings are concerned, it&#8217;s important to me that I maintain those and do less of the behaviors that harm important relationships.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The negative results I highlight above are very real and logical outcomes from Multitasking. Each day, I aim to do better by doing less and less Multitasking. As in all things business, continuous improvement also applies to ones personal life.<\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve written about the Myth of Multitasking before; but despite knowing that Multitasking often doesn&#8217;t lead to good outcomes, I find it difficult to stop. So, instead of reprimanding myself too harshly, I thought I&#8217;d document the 5 Life Lessons I&#8217;ve Learned from Multitasking. 1. Multitasking Means That Things Will Take Longer I wrote about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12327,"featured_media":15569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Multitasking Has Taught Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Multitasking leads to many negative outcomes; yet, why do we continue to multi-task? 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