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Multitasking Drains Your Brain's Energy Reserves, Researchers Say (qz.com)
An anonymous reader quotes an article from Quartz:
When we attempt to multitask, we don't actually do more than one activity at once, but quickly switch between them. And this switching is exhausting. It uses up oxygenated glucose in the brain, running down the same fuel that's needed to focus on a task...
"That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel tired much more quickly than if we sustain attention on one thing," says Daniel Levitin, professor of behavioral neuroscience at McGill University. "People eat more, they take more caffeine. Often what you really need in that moment isn't caffeine, but just a break. If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee."
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
"That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel tired much more quickly than if we sustain attention on one thing," says Daniel Levitin, professor of behavioral neuroscience at McGill University. "People eat more, they take more caffeine. Often what you really need in that moment isn't caffeine, but just a break. If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee."
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
I was going to comment but am busy doing a few other things. Ugh, need a nap now.
I disagree because you then have to add all the time wasted interacting with the people who come over and ask when you are going to start on their task.
In that case, you're not actually single tasking, are you?
Play the people off of each other. for example, you have tasks for A,B,C, and D and you're doing them in that order. If B pesters you while you're doing A's task, then D pesters you, tell D that his task is being delayed by B's task but if B were to die mysteriously, D's task would get done a lot sooner.