Yes, you can learn how to multitask

Many of us define a successful day as one where we get a lot done. To check more tasks off your to-do list, it’s tempting to try multitasking, but that’s a counterproductive strategy. According to research, multitasking can kill your productivity by as much as 80% . It can also drop your IQ by 10 points, harming your cognitive performance in a manner similar to smoking weed .



Doing more than one thing at a time isn’t really multitasking; it’s “task switching,” says Dave Rabin, MD, PhD, neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and cofounder and chief medical officer at Apollo Neuroscience, a company that offers scientifically validated wearable technology that improves focus and relaxation. 



“Attention is a finite resource,” he explains. “We only have so much attention that we can put on anything at any given time. As you split your attention between different tasks that you’re trying to do at the same time, you’re siphoning off attentional resources, which takes more of you out of the present moment.”



Attention splitting puts you at risk of making more mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the more likely it is you’re going to have to repeat what you’re doing. However, multitasking, not task-switching, is possible, claims Rabin, but only if you understand how it can be done successfully.



Multitask Like a Chef



Multitasking is all about timing, and Rabin says a good metaphor for its correct usage is preparing an Italian dinner. 



“You start making the sauce first because it takes the longest,” he says. “When that starts to simmer, you prepare the pasta, which has its own timescale. The other pieces of the meal have their own different times. While you’re doing each specific task, you’re 100% focused on it. Then everything comes out at the right time for a temperature, texture, and flavor at the end.” 



The chef approach can be used at work, too. Instead of trying to split your attention between tasks, consider how you time them, staggering items and giving each one 100% of your attention in their moment. 



For example, if you are working on a big project, identify the things you need to do between now and tomorrow and between now and next week to have a successful outcome. Ask yourself, what actions can I start to get the process rolling? 



“Some things need an incubation time, and some things require deliberation and feedback,” says Rabin. “Each task has its own time scale, just like the pasta doesn’t take the same amount of time to cook as the sauce. When you stagger things over time, you can actually do multiple things. You multitask across time rather than in the moment.”



Consider Your Frame of Mind



Another consideration for successful multitasking is considering the temperament you need to bring to a task. We each have multiple versions of ourselves that exist at any given time, explains Rabin. 



“We might present one version of ourselves at work, which is professional and buttoned up,” he says. “There’s a sensitive or vulnerable part that might not always be effective or helpful in some business situations. Then there are parts of ourselves we show around our families or friends. Each has strengths.”



Understanding which tasks require which parts of yourself can help you optimize your performance in those situations. For example, focusing on numbers may require your detail-oriented productive side while coaching a struggling employee needs your sensitive being. 



Shifting into a different version of yourself doesn’t happen immediately, notes Rabin. Think about what it’s like to come home from a busy workday, trying to jump right into family time. We all need transition periods, and you can use the same approach with tasks that require a different version of you. To go from work mode to a more sensitive state, Rabin recommends doing something that relaxes your body. You could take a short walk or listen to music.



It’s possible to improve your productivity by staggering tasks according to their time and energy requirements, but it requires practice, says Rabin.



“If you practice being distracted, then you get really good at distracting yourself,” he says. “Society has trained us to be distracted. If you practice control, you get better at it. You have to put effort into doing it. You can optimize your performance and your recovery when you practice being fully present with whatever it is you’re doing.”