Why Multitasking is Damaging Your Career

Multitasking seems like it would make life easier, but it’s actually damaging your brain and your career by distracting you from the work at hand. For example, when you check email while reading documents or skim Facebook while talking to co-workers in person,

you’re letting yourself be pulled away from the original task at hand (and letting others know that you don’t value your time). Instead of multitasking at work, try focusing on just one thing until it’s finished and then moving on to the next task—you might be surprised by how much more productive you are!

Focus on 1 thing

You’ve Probably Heard That Multitasking Is Bad For Your Productivity But Did You Know That It Can Also Damage Your Brain? Studies show that people who are trying to juggle multiple tasks at once actually have less focus, increased stress levels, and more mistakes than those who work on one task at a time.

To combat this and perform better in the workplace, try to complete one task before starting another, avoid distractions like social media or texting while working, take frequent breaks throughout the day to rest your mind and body, and spend 15 minutes doing deep breathing exercises to clear your head before tackling a new project.

One task at a time

The human brain is not built to handle multiple tasks at once. When we try to do too many things at once, our brains become overwhelmed and we end up doing all of the tasks poorly. We’re constantly switching between different tasks which takes up valuable mental energy that could be spent more efficiently on one task at a time. For example,

when you’re reading an email on your phone while listening to music with earbuds in both ears, your brain has a hard time paying attention to either activity because it's split in two places.

Shut down everything when doing one task

Focusing on one task at a time sounds simple enough, but in today's society, it's harder than ever to do. We're constantly bombarded with distractions, whether it's a notification on our phone or an email that just came in. It's no wonder that so many of us have trouble concentrating!

To make matters worse, studies show that multitasking can actually lead to poorer performance and even damage your brain. Researchers found that people who multitasked the most had the worst cognitive skills - such as concentration and memory - compared to those who did not multitask as much.

It may seem like there are endless benefits for multitasking: being able to get more done quickly, getting notifications from your phone while you work on something else, etc., but these tasks come at a cost.

Don’t get distracted by emails

You’ve Probably Heard That Multitasking Is Bad For Your Productivity But Did You Know That It Can Also Damage Your Brain When a person has two tasks to do at the same time, he or she is more likely to forget details from both tasks and perform worse on each task than if they had done one at a time. For example, when someone tries to read a book while cooking dinner, he or she might forget an ingredient in the recipe and burn the food.

Manage distractions better in meetings

We've all been there – sitting in a meeting, trying to pay attention, but our mind keeps wandering. Maybe we're thinking about what we need to do next on our to-do list, or maybe we're just daydreaming. Either way, it can be tough to focus when there are distractions. Here are a few tips to help you manage distractions and stay focused in meetings

1) Bring something with you that will keep your hands busy - like knitting needles or even your phone - so that they won't reach for an extra task while others are talking.
2) Stay seated while talking so that you don't have the temptation to wander around the room looking for another conversation partner.
3) Be conscious of how much time you're spending on activities unrelated to the meeting at hand.

Know which tasks need the most focus

Do You Ever Feel Like You Are Constantly Juggling Too Many Things At Once? You're not alone. In today's fast-paced world, it's common to try and do several things at the same time. But what you may not realize is that this constant multitasking is actually damaging your brain.

Research has shown that multitasking impairs cognitive performance on a number of levels. As if that weren't bad enough, research also shows that people who frequently juggle tasks report feeling more stressed than those who focus on one task at a time.

Learn to say no

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that we have to do it all. But the truth is, multitasking can actually be damaging to your career. When You Try To Do Too Many Things At Once You End Up Doing All Of Them Poorly Plus, you're more likely to make mistakes and forget important details. So instead of trying to do everything, learn to focus on one thing at a time and give it your full attention.

Here Are Some Tips For How To Do This
With so much happening in your life, it may seem like multitasking is the only way to keep up. But when you force yourself to work on several tasks at once, your performance suffers and often leads to errors or forgotten information. Instead of trying to do everything, focus on one task and dedicate 100% of your attention for that task by eliminating distractions such as social media or texts from friends.