According to a recent Huffington Post blog, multitasking is impossible. I’ll admit, this information came to me as a bit of a shock. In fact, I was under the impression that I was multitasking while reading the post. Whoops. 

I’m currently at work, and I’m attempting to call Fordham alumni for donations while simultaneously writing this article. And now I know that I’m not being nearly as productive as I thought I was, because apparently, normal human brains can only focus on one complex task at a time. 

Even though it’s a revelation for me, this isn’t new information by any means. Google the word “multitasking” (I just did) and you’ll find pages of results telling you that the word itself is a misnomer. Apparently, when the brain is called upon to perform two tasks at once, as mine is now, it just switches rapidly between the two, and the extra effort involved can be stressful. Dividing attention among two or more objectives ultimately takes longer, leads to lower quality work, makes it harder to remember information and can encourage the habit of giving in to distractions. 

All of this amounts to a fairly compelling argument against multitasking. However, that argument isn’t really mine to make and I’d be a hypocrite if I tried. I’m a chronic multitasker, and what’s more, I don’t really want to change that. As I see it, the world today is geared specifically toward multitasking. It can be seen in everything from the iPhone to the Internet; those innovations that make our lives easier but also give us more to do than ever. Right now, I have at my fingertips the ability to write this article, check my email, Facebook chat with a friend, browse the internet…yes, it’s less efficient to try to do it all at once, but it’s all happening now, and I feel obligated to try and keep up. 

Maybe trying to balance all of this isn’t necessarily the best idea, what with the decreased productivity and brain stress, but I still think there are a few perks. In my own experience, at least, getting into the habit of multitasking has made it easier for me to work calmly when I’m facing extra pressure, like a looming deadline. 

Having practiced juggling several different tasks, I have become much better at completing all of them without forgetting anything important or making mistakes, a skill that I will most definitely use in the future, and probably forever. 

In the end, though, the fact remains that multitasking is, more than anything, an illusion of productivity. As I sit here answering calls and trying to write coherently, I know that both tasks are suffering to some degree. I’m saying some things that don’t make sense into the phone, I’m stressing myself out and this article is going to need a lot of revising. But, I also know that sometimes, this kind of situation can’t be helped. There will be times when you have a paper to write, a book to read, a topic to research and not enough time to do it all separately. It’s not ideal, but in that situation you’d better be able to down an espresso shot, dive in and start doing the impossible. Or at least try.