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Most folks think women are better at multitasking than men. This is actually not the case.

But before I get to that, let’s be clear that multitasking is a bad idea. It always reduces effectiveness and increases mistakes. 

I used to have a job where multitasking was often required and I thought I was pretty good at it. Perhaps I was in the 2.5% of people able to multitask effectively, but I doubt it. I know now it’s not the best way to get things done. If there’s no choice, then there’s no choice, but avoiding multitasking as much as possible is a wise move. Studies have repeatedly proven that the more we multitask the less we actually accomplish. And it’s not just when we’re doing two things at once that we suffer. Frequent multitasking impairs our overall ability to focus and that costs us in a lot of ways. Among other things, it can keep us from being present in our marriages, which is harmful to our relationship. And not being able to focus during sex brings frustration.

As for the genders, it’s long been assumed women are better at multitasking. Perhaps that is because women do it more often. If you have kids, you’re often forced to do it and perhaps it becomes a habit. But recent well-done studies have found there is no truth behind this stereotype.

There are two types of multitasking, concurrent multitasking and sequential multitasking. Concurrent multitasking means doing two things at the same time such as driving and talking on the phone, while sequential multitasking means rapidly switching between two things, such as reading a book while texting with a friend. Men and women’s performance suffered equally for sequential multitasking, but men suffered less than women when engaged in concurrent multitasking. 

~ Paul – I’m XY, and what was I just doing?

❤️ #Couple’sQuestion: Your spouse hands you a box. What’s in it?

Related Reading:

Gender differences in multitasking experience and performance
How Multitasking Affects Productivity and Brain Health
Why Multitasking Is Bad for You

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