Multi-Tasking Pro or Con

23 Oct Multi-Tasking Pro or Con

According to Steven Schussler, Founder of the Rainforest Café, he states in his book It’s a Jungle in there that multi-tasking is a key skill for any entrepreneur. He even open’s his chapter 5 with a quote by Marilyn vos Savant who stated that “A person who learns to juggle six balls will be more skilled than the person who never tries to juggle more than three.” He further shared that when a CNN reporter popped by for an interview that the reporter thought that he had entered Mission Control for the Space Shuttle. On Mr. Schussler’s desk the reporter spotted that he had 3 computer monitors (hooked up to 3 different computers), 3 separate phone lines, a laptop, a television, two fax machines, and a special “red phone” for international calls. He was even talking on a regular cell phone while checking his email on a blackberry. Wow that that is what I call multi-tasking!   Sure, that is a lot but that is also what he feels helped make him the successful entrepreneur that he is today. As he grew into adulthood, psychologist began giving his behavior a name: Attention Deficit Disorder. He preferred to call his high energy multi-tasking “hyper-tasking” and he felt the behavior was quite satisfying.

I find it interesting that when you look at highly successful entrepreneurs you often times find individuals who have been diagnosed as ADD or ADHD as well. Mr. Schussler is in good company with fellow ADHD businessmen Sir Richard Branson, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein Alexander Graham Bell, and Charles Schwab to name a few. Yet, in spite of this proof you still have modern skeptics. Kendra Cherry, author of the Everything Psychology Book, she states that “Multitasking can reduce productivity by approximately 40-percent according to some researchers.” The research is further discussed on the website www.entrepreneur.com where author Joe Robinson states that “when you perform multiple tasks that each require some of the same channels of processing, conflicts will arise between the tasks, and you’re going to have to pick and choose which task you’re going to focus on and devote a channel of processing to it.” So who are we to believe? Do we look to successful businessmen/women or do we turn to the experts in psychology? I personally tend to side with Mr. Schussler. Due to his ADD diagnosis he is able to do things that other neuro-typical people cannot do. I think that multi-tasking skill is one that if honed to perfection can offer him a competitive advantage. For those without the ADHD/ADD diagnosis I think that it is still possible for them to learn to multi-task but they may find it difficult to maintain throughout the day. With practice anyone can do it.