Multi Tasking Effects on Health – Is it hurting you instead of doing good?

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My typical day is the churning of the following activities which takes the toll on my health:

1. A long day at the office, getting piles of work done between meetings and co-worker questions
2. Lunch at your desk, thinking about traffic rush possibilities while going home.
3. Wait in traffic, and planning for dinner - ingredients you have to use and what to buy from store.
4. Catch up with friends on your blue tooth
5. Take care of some last minute plans with the family before heading to the gym. Listen to children chatting about their day,
6. Start to make dinner,
7. House needs to be tidied up
8. Rush out the door for soccer practice.
9. Fall into bed without memories of things completed today.

Does this sound same as your typical day, some things here and there? Our society has over the time evolved into a jungle of TODO list which we need to complete as we race through everyday – most of the time with only us running alone. The solution which we have been taught is multi tasking.

Smart phones tend to make our multitasking capabilities simpler. They are available in lot and everybody is using them. Job postings always need multitasking abilities. Families do not seem to work if we do not multitask.

But the scientific research shows just opposite. It says that doing multitasking decrease our efficiency, hinder our ability to learn, and decrease ability of self-control.

So what is the solution?

We are capable of mono-tasking. How to achieve this?

1. Several studies from the university research have found that doing exercise improves brain function and focus.
2. Stay hydrated - A study presented in the Journal of Nutrition in the year 2012, found that women who are dehydrated were not able to concentrate on cognitive tests.
3. Always scan your commitments with the test of focus. If you cannot focus on 2 things put together, why to focus on 2 together. Split them and focus on just 1 at a time.
4. Always have clarity on the things that should be done a particular time. You need to be planning and prioritizing your tasks, doing only one at a time.

Accept and appreciate your limits of focus. If you can focus only for 15 minutes in a given time period, split your task into 15 minutes activities. Do one, then switch over to another.