Interesting brain fact…
Though some people claim to be excellent multitaskers, the truth is, our brain is not capable of multitasking. In the book “Neuro Teach: Brain Science and the Future of Education,” authors Whitman and Kelleher explain that “the brain cannot multitask – instead it rapidly switches from meeting the demands of one task to meeting the demands of another. There is a switching cost for doing so…it results in more effort for less efficient performance.”
It simply is not possible for our brain to listen to a TV while also listening to a person speaking to us at the same time, or to do homework or a work project while also texting or looking at our phone. The most effective and efficient way to complete any task is to schedule time to focus completely on that one task. By allowing our brain time to focus on one task at a time, as opposed to rapidly switching back and forth between multiple tasks, we will make fewer errors and better absorb the content of the task we are completing.
To learn more about the multitasking myth, I recommend the following short videos: