Is Multitasking really a LIE? - My Reactions to The One Thing

A few days ago, I was reading 'The One Thing' and can't help but reflect on the statement in Chapter 5 saying that, 'Multitasking is a lie.'

To give you a brief background, The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results is the new book written by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan. The authors share their take on how to be successful with eye opening ideas and revelations (You can know more about it by reading my book report).

One of the topics they tackled is Multitasking and how it is hurting your productivity. For someone who have been practicing multitasking most of my life, this instantly caught my attention. I debated with myself whether being a multitasker is a good or a bad thing... And here's my opinion about it.

It's All in the Description

If you say that multitasking involves doing several activities simultaneously, then yes, it would lead you to failure. Isn't this the reason why texting while driving was banned in California and in most states? I completely agree that it is impossible to accomplish two or more goals at the exact same time with highly satisfactory results.

On the other hand, multitasking can be defined as a strategy of finishing many jobs in different intervals in a span of an hour or day. It would be a whole new arguement if this is the case. For instance, during a work day, I schedule and commplete meeting with clients, doing research, writing blogs, and other tasks in various hours. While some may say that this is time management, I believe this is the true nature of multitasking and how to put it into action.

Obessessed about Multitasking

In my opinion, one factor that can hurt your success more than multitasking is trying too hard to be a multitasker. With countless sources telling us that we have to be multitaskers, many people are fascinated by this notion that it eventually becomes an obsession. It doesn't mean that if another San Diego Real Estate Broker can finish zillion tasks a day that I should do the same. Instead, I frequently assess my abilities and how much I can handle. The One Thing helped in proving that this aspect of multitasking is a myth.

Handling Distractions

According to Chapter 5, multitasking is counter productive because it can be negatively influenced by distractions. It's true that distractions can be challenges to your work flow but these can't be entirely avoided. What wasn't included in the chapter is how you can simply handle these situations by weighing how urgent a distraction is.

Here are examples: While writing a blog, I got a call from a client who detected problems with their buying contract. Obviously, I need to drop my existing task in favor of my client's need. However, if I'm writing my blog and my assistant can't find flyers we'll be passing out next week, then I would politley tell him to wait as I finish my task first.

So... What's My Answer?

Ask me if multitasking is really a lie and I will reply with 'it depends'. As far as The One Thing's take on multitasking is concerned, I agree to some aspects of it. Like I've said, it heavily lies on your perception and application of multitasking. If you're entirely honest with yourself that you can handle several tasks and distractions, then by golly, Multitask.

If you have any reactions to the book, The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results or to this blog, feel free to leave a comment below. You can also make a post and join The One Thing AR Contest (better hurry because deadline is today at 11:59 PM PST).