Top 5 Negative Impacts of Multitasking

Are you multitasking most of the time? Do you think it doesn’t harm you and you get more done this way? In this article we don’t beat around the bush and you’ll learn the harsh truth about multitasking.

1. Loss of focus
   Multitasking means constantly switching between tasks. By doing this it becomes harder to keep your focus on the task you’re currently working on. When working on a task, your focus will also be on other tasks because of multitasking.
   This means that while working on your task, the task hasn’t got 100% of your focus.
2. Loss of productivity and efficiency
   When you’re multitasking and you switch between tasks, it takes time to switch. This will lead to productivity and efficiency loss. The process of switching tasks and it’s information can also lead to errors and mistakes, because you’re not 100% focussed. Correcting these errors and mistakes takes time, which leads to even more time loss and your productivity will drop.
3. Increases depression and social anxiety
   A study showed that the more people multitasked the more likely they were to report signs of depression and social anxiety. The constant switching between tasks makes you tired and you will feel like you get nothing done which will lead to signs of depression and social anxiety.
4. Increases stress
   The constant bombardment of information to which you are trying to respond when multitasking elevates your stress responses. You are constantly trying to make your work perfect, while your focus is off on everything. Your work can’t be perfect because it hasn’t got your full focus which leads to stress.
5. Increases distractibility
   Because your work hasn’t got your 100% focus, your focus is easily drawn away to other things. Every little distraction like someone walking past you or getting a message will easily drift your focus. By responding to so many distractions you will lose the ability to distinguish between important and unimportant interruptions.

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