Multitasking can aid or hinder productivity depending on the tasks and attention required. Divided attention can reduce efficiency and quality, but partial attention can be efficient for simple tasks. Computer and media multitasking are also common forms.
Multitasking, the act of doing more than one task at the same time, can be both an aid and a hindrance to human productivity. Its efficiency depends on the activities performed, the person performing them, and the depth of attention required for each activity. Some tasks can be done more efficiently when concentrated alone, while other tasks can be completed more quickly, and therefore more efficiently, when done together. Multitasking often saves time, although in some cases the quality of work can suffer.
An example of multitasking might include watching an instructional or educational video while researching a similar topic in a book. A person could gain a cursory understanding of the main points of the video and the key ideas of the text by doing both at the same time. If done separately, however, the full concept and detail of both video and text can be consumed, although it would probably take twice as long. Similarly, a multitasker can do both at the same time, and as a result it may take longer if the person does not want to lose content from either source and therefore rewinds or re-reads.
Many experts have debated whether multitasking is efficient and how it can limit or help human productivity. Many studies have shown that it will not produce as focused an understanding or efficiency of a subject or job as individual attention to the job. Even simple tasks performed simultaneously can suffer from divided attention.
Partial attention to tasks that don’t require intense participation, however, has been shown to be an efficient form of multitasking. In tasks that can be scanned or performed superficially, with limited attention on the part of the multitasker, efficiency will usually not suffer from divided attention. If a slow process that requires partial attention can be combined with another similar process, the two can realistically be combined and the results may not suffer. For example, a slow training technique such as the dumbbell shrug can be combined with another slow movement with a different body part, such as the toe lift, to save time without losing muscle effort efficiency of both workouts.
Other types include computer multitasking, where a computer performs two tasks or actions simultaneously. In this process, running or downloaded programs may load more slowly, but due to the nature of a computer, which is different from the human brain, they run fully and efficiently. In media multitasking, a person uses different forms of media together. This may involve using an MP3 player, computer, digital recorder or personal digital assistant and can be efficient in using the different tools for different forms of communication and information.
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