Do you think you are an expert multi-tasker? Well think again. Multi-tasking does not work and here we explain why. You’ll soon realise that ‘single-tasking’ is the way to go.

You can’t actually do it
The brain is not built for multi-tasking. When you think you are multi-tasking what you are actually doing is switching task.

You do not save time
Contrary to what you might think – multi-tasking does not actually save you time. Quite the opposite. It will take you longer to finish two projects when you’re jumping back and forth between them than if you did one at a time. In fact, experts suggest switching task causes a 40% loss in productivity.

You make more mistakes
If you are switching task constantly then you are less likely to be thinking deeply. As such, you are much more likely to make mistakes.

You get more stressed
If you have more than one thing vying for your attention it stresses you out. A study showed that employees who were working with constant access to their email stayed in a perpetually “high alert” mode with a high heart rate, compared to those who were single-tasking without email on.

You will forget things
Switching task a lot can disrupt your short-term memory. A study at the University Of London found that subjects who multi-tasked experienced drops in their IQ comparable to someone who missed a night of sleep.