Multitasking is an efficiency killer

Multitasking really can be a problem for efficiency. Ever went home from work and asked yourself, where the hell the time has gone?

Usually when I have this feeling, it was one of the days, where I had to work on several different projects or I had several interruptions. The problem here really is that multitasking for humans is a myth. As a programmer would say, the human brain is single threaded, this means, it can only work on a single task.

So when you think you are working on multiple tasks, what you really do, is you work on one task (like programming) and the you work on another (like answering a phone call). Between those tasks the brain needs some time to switch from one task to another.

If this happens regularly you wont get anything done, as the time needed for context switching takes overhand.

JoelOnSoftware also wrote a great blog about that.

Thats the reason why agile software methodologies like Scrum recommend to remove multitasking from project and resource plans. 

They also introduce Daily Meeting, like the Daily Scrum, where the team should remove any impediments, like open questions. This is the place and time where team members should request help, because there they can do it, without causing efficiency problems for others within the team.

Scrum also recommends as a programming practice, to develop as a pair, so that if questions arise, the developers working on that same problem, can discuss it, and try to solve this problem on their own. This practice also results in viewer task switches, as the developer does not have to seek help from a developer, who works on an entire different task.

One should also try to reduce interruptions in the typical work life like Email, Phone Calls and others.

What to do?

• Especially reducing interruptions because of Email is an easy thing. Email is an asynchronous communication. You do not have to answer it at once.
• For me I found it helpful to disable the incoming email alerts, and only checking my emails in the morning, and before my breaks.
• Answer the emails you can answer without additional work first, then those that need work to be done.
• Remove task switches from your daily plan. Plan to work on one task, finish that and then start with the next.
• Plan for tasks that are as big as possible without being longer than a work day.
• Recognize that there will be unplanned interruption despite of the plans
• For projects: Use a project process that supports your productivity, like Scrum, XP and other agile processes

Update

InfoQ now also has a nice article about multitasking.