The Impact Of Multitasking On Performance

Introduction
Change is the only constant entity of life. The world is ever so changing, demanding a certain level of flexibility from an individual in order to adequately adapt to, and conquer daily challenges. These challenges encountered by an individual in their day-to-day activities make them vulnerable to performing multiple tasks concurrently in an attempt to save time and resources. One such challenge that resonates with individuals is multitasking. In today’s society, concurrently undertaking more than one activity is highly regarded as a valuable and marketable skill. In an era of thriving technology, human beings have the tendency to emulate the multitasking capabilities of computers in which a computer can simultaneously undertake

No matter how many times an individual convinces themselves that they can effectively perform multiple tasks, the fact is that the outcomes of both tasks won’t be as effective as they would be if handled separately. If for example, a worker needs to send out emails urgently, then they should focus on emailing rather than emailing while talking on the phone and tidying up their workspace. According to Adler and Benbunan’s (2012) studies regarding the impact of multitasking on performance, performance increases with minimal levels of multitasking, obeying the Yerkes-Dodson law. The law states that a worker’s optimal performance is brought about when the levels of distraction are minimal and very high levels of distraction result in suboptimal performance. It can be inferred that the relationship between multitasking and a worker’s performance is inversely

I often find myself undertaking more than two tasks at the same time and believe that I am progressing perfectly well. Upon checking my daily activities, social media is one of the biggest distractions. Resisting the distracting elements of social media have proven to be inseparable with my performance. No matter how busy the task would be, as long as I am working alone, I cannot resist the urge to check my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other news media websites. I find that a part of me tricks me into convincing myself that checking social media is going to give me a break from the work and rejuvenate my mind. After analysing my performance when incorporating social media, I have noticed a substantial difference in outcome. I discovered that every time I worked in places without Wi-Fi or if I became disciplined enough to not connect to the internet, I would complete my tasks on time and I would have more time for social media. Another example that I can recall where multitasking was a serious issue is during my time at the University of South Australia where I worked as a statistical research assistant. I was working independently, analysing data and preparing a presentation for the senior lecturer and I checked my Facebook and saw that one of my old friends from high school whom I’d lost touch with was online. We began chatting as I was preparing the