•	Perform one task at the same time.

•	Tasking-switching usually comes with changing costs.

Task-switching

Being able to reallocate time between tasks by working on multiple things simultaneously.

A potential benefit of multitasking

•	In comparison to sequential execution, multitasking significantly lowers performance. As a result, switching with its associated costs, including recalling the actions, rules and details performed so far, outweighs the benefits of receiving a fresh perspective.

•	There was only a marginal improvement in performance for subjects who were free to choose when and how to switch, and they performed significantly worse than those who were forced to change at unpredictable points in time. This study adds a new dimension to the debate over centralizing decision-making by showing subjects perform worse under self-selected work schedules.

•	There is no gender difference in productivity when multitasking.


Findings 

•	Several contingent tasks are performed at the same time.

•	Employees constantly switch between multiple demanding and ongoing tasks in a modern work environment, impacting productivity.

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

The term multitasking (or time sharing) was first used to describe the sharing of computing processor capacity amongst a number of distinct jobs (e.g., Denning (1971)). In the workplace today, human multitasking is a natural response to the increased demand from a growing number of competing activities. 

Multitasking

Buser, T., & Peter, N. (2012). Multitasking. Experimental Economics : A Journal of the Economic Science Association, 15(4), 641-655.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-012-9318-8

Mobile devices offer people the opportunity to get useful tasks done during time previously thought to be unusable. Because cell phones have small screens, they’re useful for short, simple tasks. The researchers in this study designed a special app, Play Write, whose purpose is to make complex editing tasks more fragmented and achievable while working on mobile devices. Results suggested that the app made participants feel more productive and less stressed, and they completed more edits on a document using the app.

Multitasking with Play Write, a mobile microproductivity writing tool

- Multitasking with Play Write, a mobile microproductivity writing tool
- Does Multitasking Improve Performance? Evidence from the Emergency Department


References to related Literature

- Multitasking with Play Write, a mobile microproductivity writing tool
- Does Multitasking Improve Performance? Evidence from the Emergency Department.



Related Literature 

Multitasking in the workplace

Media multitasking increases media absorption by enabling students to use two or more mediums at once. As media use is largely unregulated in college, this behavior extends to this institution.

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