These days folks like to brag about how busy they are and how much they multitask. I am not a fan of multitasking. In my experience, multitasking is inefficient and just leads to doing several things poorly. I would rather take my time and excel at the task at hand.
Last week Jared Sandberg's Wall Street Journal column "Cubicle Culture" tackled the subject of multitasking. I really enjoyed reading his column and have referred it to several clients. To read it click on: www.careerjournal.com and go to "Columnists" and "Cubicle Culture". The article is titled "Why Multitasking Doesn't Work."
Mr. Sandberg quoted scientific research that finds when multitasking the brain is slowed down and results suffer. There are some simple things that we can multitask at but more complex thinking requires our focus. So next time you think you need to multitask, take a deep breath, slow down and do one thing at a time.