Why multitasking harms productivity, memory and mental health

Even though we think that multitasking makes us more high performing, it does the exact opposite. In the era of hustling and over working to reach our full potential, we tend to do multiple things all at once. But that is one of the worst things we can do to our brains. 

Why multitasking isn’t real productivity

Reports and multiple doctors online are warning us of the downsides of multitasking. Multitasking is a form of task-switching that does a lot of harm on our brains. It makes us more prone to error, reduces our focus, and also restructure our brain functions. Since we're doing multiple things at once, multitasking impairs our decision making skills, creativity and also memory.

When we are multitasking, we have very little time to ourselves. Sitting in front of the computer or laptop for long hours, trying to juggle all of our work together, leads to less movement, which in turn results in less blood flow to the brain. And since we constantly keep switching from one task to another, our brain cannot process all the tasks simultaneously. So we end up performing each task less effectively.

Overworking, hustling, and trying to reach our full potential as fast as we can has major side effects. These lead to chronic stress, which produces excess cortisol, weakens our memory and affects our sleep.

There are a few habits that really take a toll on our health but we do not understand till its too late. We isolate ourselves because we end up working till late. That leads to depression and risks cognitive decline.

To avoid risking our overall mental and physical health, we should strive to balance our work hours with unwinding. Remember to eat well and on time, take a walk every 20 mins, and definitely get a good 7-8 hours of quality sleep. Avoid scrolling reel after reel before bedtime because blue light suppresses melatonin.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.