Multitasking lowers your productivity. Okay I see why you can think that way, but there’s another point of multitasking.
A human can breath, see, think and walk at the same time, even though he doesn’t want to be a perfect breather, world’s best walker and an influential philosopher at the same time right away. There’s a necessity of breathing, a destination to walk to, a gift to think and the ability to see where to go. Most of us aren’t perfect at either of the above, but doing them at the same time can’t ruin our lives.
A car driver doesn’t want to focus on pressing gas pedal and after its done turn the steering to the right direction. The point is to do all of the needed stuff to get to the destination. There are people who can drive a car like a pro right away, those who train and learn quickly, and people who are having the hardest time getting used to doing several things at the same time. It depends on a type of person.
When a pianist thinks of different cords and rhythms he multitasks, he doesn’t want to press one chord perfectly and one at a time. The beauty of a piano song is in the sync of several chords and rhythms at the same time. And he’s probably been developing his skills at piano playing since he was a child through his whole life.
The Multitasking research many people refer to is based on a group of people and numbers. That can’t and shouldn’t be projected on everyone. They probably wouldn’t be good at piano as well or driving a car.
What I’m trying to say is that every individual’s multitasking ability depends on their mental (personal) skills and experience. That’s the point of multitasking and there lies a beauty underneath it (think of classic piano compositions).
So don’t listen to what people say, don’t take everything as granted – do whatever you think you know you can do. Do you know how easy it is to lie with numbers? It’s even easier than with words, because people tend to believe in numbers more.
Although it is obvious that texting to one friend and talking to another one sitting right next to you is much more difficult (and rude). I think it’s because the two tasks demand attention from the same part of the brain. Same applies to working in the office and checking instagram.
So I suggest if you multitask, you do it the smart way. And if you aren’t good at it, develop your skills at your spare time. It’s achievable.
PS: In a car driving example I gave in the beginning of this post, I strongly recommend to not text or talk on the phone while driving. As a part of society not only will you hurt yourself, but other people who have families, jobs, dreams and loved ones.
