Bad Effects of Multitasking

by Carol Deeb, Demand Media

Multitasking can seem like an advantage, especially in the business world, but constantly performing several tasks at once can lead to a drop in productivity. The bad effects of multitasking take their toll by not allowing you to recover from excessive stimulation that bombards you on a daily basis. Be aware of the negative side effects of trying to accomplish too much at once, and complete one task at a time to regain control over your responsibilities.

Lack of Focus

When working on several tasks as once, such as talking on the phone, checking your email and writing a report, you can lose the focus required to adequately complete one item. Too many distractions break your concentration, which requires more time to come back to one task, find where you left off, and try to recreate your thought pattern. In their book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mindfulness," Anne Ihnen and Carolyn Flynn discuss the bad effect of multitasking that does not allow your brain to rest between tasks, which wastes time in refocusing on the most important duty that must be performed.

Memory Impairment

Multitasking can lead to over-stimulation of your brain function. If you are working on a project or assignment and you are constantly interrupted by coworkers, phone calls, or customers, you risk forgetting details required to comprehensively finish the task. By having too much information inundate you at the same time, your brain cannot differentiate between what is important and what isn't, negatively affecting your memory. A 2009 study by Clifford Nass, Ph.D., and others at Stanford University shows that participants who multitask the most are distracted by unimportant information that is stored in their short-term memory.

Increase Stress Levels

Attempting to perform too many activities at one time can cause your stress levels to increase. Stress can lead to burnout, employee absences, and disability claims at work. Anxiety associated with multitasking at the office can reduce productivity and negatively impact a company's profits, especially a small business with few employees. When the office environment is too fast-paced for employees to perform their job functions properly, it can hurt morale and cause higher turnover, which is costly to many companies. Turning off unnecessary electronics and allowing calls to roll to voice mail helps you feel that you have control over your environment and can finish the task at hand.


The bad effects of multitasking can take their toll on your life and livlihood. In addition, businesses and the economy suffer when employees are constantly interrupted with unnecessary distractions. The New York Times cites a 2007 study by Basex, a consultation company that studied how employees perform their tasks in conjunction with the use of electronics. Basex estimated that businesses lose $650 billion a year related to the lack of job performance and creativity due to distractions. When employees lose their concentration on assignments and on finding solutions that help a company reach its financial goals, profits can suffer.

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