Limit What You Start to Go Faster: An Introduction

The myth of multi-tasking.

In the rush to show progress, we often feel that the busier we are, the better. We feel that having more things in flight demonstrates some type of higher-order capability. Often, we even put it on our resumes—”proven ability to multitask,” “can easily handle multiple projects at once, ” or “can handle multiple priorities simultaneously.” It is viewed as a badge of honor.

Can you get better at multitasking? Research tells us that we cannot; the human brain is incapable of multitasking. This first post dives into the perils of multitasking and the benefits of limiting what you start. Future posts will delve into Agile patterns for starting less and finishing more.

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Examples of Multitasking

Multitasking is defined as simply doing many things at once, switching between them rather than finishing one before moving to the other. Multitasking can occur in different contexts as outlined below:

• Software Product Development: In a rush to get features in by a deadline, we start on many product features at once. Perhaps we decide to start all portfolio initiatives in parallel to show progress. Sometimes our scrum teams start every story when the sprint starts. In another situation, one of our scrum team developers jumps from story to story to perform coding rather than finishing all the coding for a particular story.
• Agile Transformation: In a rush to improve, our team starts many improvement measures at once.
• Meetings: Everyone is too busy to be stuck in a particular meeting, and as a result, all laptops are open and mobile phones are out to crank out some work for another commitment.
• Driving: While driving, a phone call is made or a text is viewed.
• Household Chores: Every chore on our household to-do list is started and partially completed. Some laundry is performed, some dishes are cleaned, some beds are made, etc.

Why Do We Start Many Things at Once?

We have many reasons for starting on more than one thing at a time. Some of the more common are below:

• Productivity: Sometimes staying busy makes us feel productive. When something has not been started, it weighs on our minds. We keep fretting that if we don’t start something on our list, it may not get done on time. A feeling emerges that if we start something, pushing past the moment of inertia will ensure timely completion.
• Blocks: Often our progress is impeded by something that cannot be quickly remedied. As such, we move on to something that is not blocked.
• Emergencies: When an emergency situation arises, we often drop what we are doing to tend to the emergency.
• Skill Shortage: We start a task but quickly realize that we do not have the skills to finish it. As such, we move on to something that is in our comfort zone.
• Variety: As they say, variety is the spice of life. When boredom sets in, it is tempting to move on to something new to mix things up.
• Overconfidence: We believe we are good at multitasking. There is a pride we take in it. We put it on our resume. At work, we seek out owning and starting multiple things at once. We believe that it is a skill we can develop.
• Fear of Criticism: Other members of our team multitask. Perhaps we should too. In addition, your manager expects you to have many things going at once. Your management believes it shows progress and demonstrates value to the organization. For fear of criticism or career slowdown, you follow suit. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
• Traditional Management: Traditional management technique tends to focus on worker efficiency. Keeping people busy in their functional specialty is the priority. If not enough functional work is available on a given project, the person is assigned partially to multiple projects, baking in the need to jump between different project assignments.

Are We in Fact More Productive When We Multitask?

Research from a Standford study is clear that productivity takes a hit when we multitask. We believe we are good at multitasking, but we are not. We can arguably do some things at the same time, such as breathing and walking or talking and running. However, when it comes to cognitive tasks, we cannot do two at the same time. The more tasks performed in parallel, the worse it gets. We just can’t focus because we keep thinking about everything we have in flight.¹

In reality, we are serial taskers. We are not performing two cognitive tasks at once. Instead, we are stopping one task, switching our attention to the new task, and starting the new task.

With this context switch, comes a significant hit to productivity. It takes time to offload your mental context for one task and load the mental context for a new task. In Gerald Weinberg’s book, Quality Software Management: Systems Thinking², he demonstrates how context switching eats into productivity as the number of simultaneous tasks increases as illustrated in Figure A:

Essentially, for every task done in parallel, there is a 20% context switch loss. In addition to context switching cost, task switching also results in more errors or mistakes. This is especially true with complex activities, such as software development. Defects increase the effort to perform an activity when done in parallel with another activity.

Figure B provides an example of how the duration for just two simultaneous activities is impacted by applying this guideline.

In the above example, both activities are of similar effort. There are three points to notice in Figure B.

First, when two activities are performed in parallel, both activities finish later than either activity in the serial-tasking example.

Second, if one activity is performed at a time, the first activity is completed in less than half the time of either activity in the multi-tasking example. This has significant implications if the first activity is a higher priority than the second activity. In serial tasking, optimal value can be realized much faster from the early completion of the first activity when activities are done in priority order.

Third, in the serial tasking example, both activities finish before either activity is completed in the multitasking example.

Figure B demonstrates only two activities in parallel. Things only get worse as you juggle more and more activities at the same time. Context switching time increases, and the number of errors increases. It quickly becomes apparent that performing more than one thing at a time is not a profitable endeavor.

Benefits of Limiting What We Start

There are considerable benefits to limiting how many items we start at once and finishing what we do start. Some of the more impactful benefits are listed below:

• Increased Productivity: Your throughput will increase due to reduced context switching.
• Positive Pressure to Improve: When you limit what you start to one thing at a time, your problems become visible and you have to fix them. You have to handle interruptions better, and you have to say no to those wanting a favor.
• Increased Collaboration, Teamwork, and Learning: When your team has to do one work item at a time to completion, collaboration and teamwork are mandatory. Your team will flourish and become higher performing as they pitch in to help get the work done.
• Increased Happiness: When you finish a task, your brain releases dopamine into the area of the brain responsible for pleasure, learning, and motivation. It feels good. This release has an addictive effect, and you want to keep finishing to re-experience the dopamine effect. Small wins finishing one thing at a time have a profound effect on your well-being and propel you to finish more, culminating in the successful, expedient achievement of long-term goals.³
• Simplicity: With less work in flight at the same time, things become simple. It is much easier to anticipate and mitigate risks, understand complexities, collaborate, plan, communicate, solve problems, avoid errors, troubleshoot errors, and reduce bottlenecks.

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Conclusion

We often have valid reasons for starting multiple things at once. It provides a false sense of progress. It is a bad habit that presents itself at work and home. We are, in fact, significantly less productive when we multitask. It is not a natural state for our mind, which is only capable of serial tasking.

We can achieve optimal productivity and many other benefits, including happiness, by performing one task to completion before starting a new task.

Starting less will allow you to finish more. Give it a try.

Check back for the next posts on Agile patterns for starting less and finishing more.

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Other Posts in the Series

• Limiting What You Start to Go Faster – Priorities and Simplicity
• Limit What You Start to Go Faster: Swarming and Interrupt Handling

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References

1. Media Multitaskers Pay a Mental Price, Stanford Study Shows, Stanford Report, August 24, 2009
2. Quality Software Management: Systems Thinking, Gerald Weinberg, 1991
3. Why Our Brains Like Short-Term Goals, Monica Mehta, entrepreneur.com, January 3, 2013