The problem with multitasking. Or: Why monotasking ensures more productivity

You actually want to work on a task. But then an email pops in. The cell phone vibrates. And at the latest when the postman rings the doorbell, concentration is finally over. How can you avoid this? Monotasking offers an interesting solution approach...

A study by Next Work Innovation found that people in knowledge-intensive jobs are interrupted at work every four minutes on average. And they try to multitask at least twice an hour. The latter was long considered effective. But that is not the case, as science proves again and again.

This is also confirmed by Johann Hari, journalist and author of the book “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention”: “If you try to do several things at the same time, you are less competent at all activities. So you make more mistakes, are less creative and remember things worse.” This phenomenon is also called the “switch cost effect” and describes the effects of constantly changing tasks. According to studies, this can even take up to 40 percent of productive time.

Another study examined the extent to which constant interruptionsinfluence. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group was allowed to work on a task without interruptions, while the second group was asked to answer a ton of emails and calls in addition to the task. At the end, the scientists tested the IQs of the two groups. The group that wasn't interrupted scored an average of 10 IQ points more.

“To make this even clearer: If you smoked a joint, your IQ would drop by five points,” says Johann Hari. “In the short term, the chronic interruptions that many face at work are twice as bad for intelligence.“

Monotasking is the counterpart to multitasking. A strategy in which you consciously concentrate on just one task and give it all your attention. This provides more depth. And helps in one-state to come. “This is particularly important today. Because all the things that can be done quickly and with juggling are superficial and simple. And therefore activities that AIs will do better in the future,” explains Johann Hari, “but what AI cannot do is creativity. Reading human emotions. And depth. These are exactly the components that force people to slow down and do one thing at a time.”

That's correct. Good results – whether at work, with friends or in hobbies – usually also require continuity, concentration and attention. “Attention is at the heart of all human achievement. And when we regain attention, it’s like a superpower,” says Johann Hari. And monotasking is essential for this.

“We haven't lost attention, rather it has been stolen from us,” said the expert. In order to regain it, you need to focus on the essentials. This can be done by cultivating habits that are close to your heart. “If the reality of life is being on TikTok and Instagram hour after hour, then that’s how you spend life. Our habits are our life. You could also say: WE are our habits.”

So one way to monotask canbe. “I recommend locking your smartphone away. There are special safes that you can set for a certain period of time and then cannot be opened for that long," says Johann Hari, "and apps like "Freedom" can be used to prevent selected websites from being accessed for a time window of your own choosing to be able to.”