Multitasking leads to mistakes

Most knowledge workers accept the fact they must sometimes perform more than one task at the same time to stay on top of their workload.

But just how productive is multitasking?

A recent Career Intelligence article cites University of Michigan research that claims multitasking slows people down and increases the likelihood of making mistakes.

The study identifies three types of multi-taskers:

• The Desperates - people who multitask because they see it as the only way to stay ahead of coworkers
• The Impulsives - workers who are unaware they're multitasking, e.g. checking new emails when talking to a client or colleague
• The Proud - people who are deluded into thinking they're capable of effectively completing two complicated tasks at the same time