Multitasking has been a way for many to negotiate today’s increasingly fast paced technology and the business behind each day. If you are multitasking though, are you giving your clients the best you can?

A new Stanford study says that, in fact, by doing less you can actually do more. There are several ways that you can gain from not falling into the multitasking trap and work more effectively and efficiently.

Psychologically impossible to multitask. It is impossible, according to most psychologists, to multitask effectively. The mind is not geared to process more than one bit of information at a time.

Worse at each task. Although it seems like you are doing more during a period of time, you are actually doing less and not as effectively. Your brain is unable to focus fully on the task and by the time it is, another task interrupts.

Slowed by irrelevant information. There is a lot of irrelevant information that can barrage your brain and distract you from the task at hand. Being able to discern between what is important and what isn’t is key to getting what needs to be done, done.

In the Stanford study, they worked with blue and red blocks on a screen. The subjects that were used to multitasking were distracted by the blue blocks (irrelevant to the task) much more so then those that were not used to multitasking.

Quality versus quantity. The quality behind what you do increases the more attention you are able to put upon the task. Over time you develop a system so that you are able to put down one task and start another without the first lingering in your mind.

Timed tasks. Deadlines and the amount of tasks that have to get done each day is the siren’s song towards multitasking. What a number people have found successful instead is dedicating a set amount of time to a task.

This allows you to focus entirely on a subject without distraction because you let the timer tell you when your time is up. The key is to hone your focus so that nothing else gets in the way. The Pomodoro Technique brings this to a new level through a free download and website.

The more you do the easier it gets. The more you focus on a task in full, the easier it gets and the more productive you are. Rather than being distracted by the phone or an appointment you have in 15 minutes, try focusing on one task. Once the time is up you learn to let it go and give the next task your full concentration.

Small disclaimer: Not everyone has a choice on if they are multitasking within what they do each day due to how information or tasks generally flow. Multitasking isn’t necessarily all bad but if you have a choice the study seems to suggest it is better to focus on a single task. Using the Pomodoro Technique or something like it on a regular basis can help towards this shift in how you approach daily tasks and improve overall efficiency.

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