Multi-tasking is a popular, if not essential skill to have in today's job market.
We're told it saves time, and money and makes us a good team player.
But new research is finding out that multi-tasking can take up to one and a half times longer to complete a job, put unnecessary strain on memory and cause anxiety in all age groups.
A group of older workers, semi-retired because of the global economic recession meet at a local café for brunch.
They are worried that they will not be able to fully retire on their savings, pension and investments as planned.
What should have been a leisurely lunch and conversation exchange turns into a feeding frenzy of brainstorming, exchanging contacts and setting up dates for future busy brunches.
Whether these people re-enter the workforce, start a small business or become consultants, they will have to multi task.
Most of us today do multi task.
Whether it is checking e-mail while we are reading or writing a report, or driving and talking on our cell phone we are adding stress and using up mental resources.
Multitasking or doing more than one thing at a time, causes problems when we have to switch our attention.
This happens because we have to set up new rules to help us make the switch.
Setting up new rules, uses up resources found in the pre-frontal cortex - the executive center of our brain responsible for working memory, decision-making, planning and judgment.
Our emotions and ability to focus are also found here.
This region of the brain is also most affected by aging and alcohol.
The older we get we become less able to switch attention quickly.
Research conducted by Patricia -Reuter Lorenz at the University of Michigan suggests that older adults may compensate for memory decline and mentally bring themselves up to speed by using two hemispheres of the brain instead of one.
Whereas a younger person was able to solve a complex problem using one side of the brain, an older person used two sides.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance suggests that there is a hidden cost to multi tasking.
A study that looked at the amounts of time lost when people repeatedly switched between two tasks of varying complexity and familiarity, found that they lost time.
It took longer to switch between more complex tasks and tasks that were unfamiliar.
We all know it is faster and easier to do things we have already learned to do and are familiar with.
It takes less time and effort.
But what can we do to meet the demands placed on us by the popular trend of multitasking? Whether you're a worry struck senior faced with the challenge of starting a consulting business or a younger person entering the workforce, there are two things you can do to bring yourself up to speed.
#1) Brain Switch Because it's not really about doing two things at once and more about making the SWITCH to the next task Say, " I want to do this now instead of that.
" This simple statement alerts your thinking brain to prepare for the change and focus away from the current task.
#2) Brain Switch Say, " I am turning off the rules for that and turning on the rules for this!" This simple statement embeds the change into you brain by supplying more details.
These are the two stages that your brain requires to switch focus with the least amount of stress and usable mental resources.
If technology is tempting you to do more than one thing at a time, and you're becoming an extreme multi tasker, use these two simple steps to bring yourself up to speed and kill the stress!