In the hectic world that we live in today, you’ll probably think that multi-tasking is a skill to be admired, something that’s even necessary! If that’s the case, then this article probably isn’t for you. True, there are times when there are just too many things to do and multi-tasking seems like the only way to get them done. But for the things that are really crucial, focus and concentration is the name of the game, particularly in business.

Serious entrepreneurs the world over will all say the same thing: a truly successful entrepreneur does not multi-task!

Definitions first. Multi-tasking is defined as juggling two or more tasks at the same time in an attempt to finish as many tasks as you can in the least amount of time. Simply put, it is man’s ability to perform more than one activity at the same time.

An example that many of us do without even noticing it is listening to a news report while sipping coffee while reading the newspaper while keeping an eye on your kid or sibling while they finish their breakfast. Without even intending or noticing it, that’s four things at once! Cool, right?

In the short-term, multi-tasking is okay, as long as what you’re doing is fairly routine and technically simple. These things are so complex that an irregularity in performing here or there will severely damage the whole process. This is called „continuous partial attention“, and it is okay for those everyday, mundane situations. However, the life of a successful entrepreneur, especially when it comes to business, is anything but mundane.

One of the things that a serious entrepreneur needs is concentration, especially if your business is one that calls for face-to-face or personal interaction with customers. No customer would be thrilled if you would be talking to them, while at the same time, talking to another customer on your phone while emailing another on your computer. No one will ever accuse you of being a competent entrepreneur if you’re like this, much less a serious entrepreneur.

The Switching Cost – the Cost of Switching from One Task to Another

The „switching cost“ has been discovered by experimental psychologists in their research. This means that every time you change tasks, you will expend four minutes each time to be able to reach your maximum productivity. Just think: doing four tasks a time would cost you an extra 16 minutes!

So do you still want to multi-task? Sure, a serious entrepreneur has a great number of things to do. If it were possible, there should be more than 24 hours in a day!

However, any serious entrepreneur should not sacrifice quality for quantity and should finish one task at a time. In the long-run, what you’ll spend in time you’ll more than make up for in productivity. What’s more, you’ll feel less stress, as your mind is only occupied with one thing at a time. If you keep on taking things one at a time, you’ll see that, sooner or later, your workload has been significantly reduced and your end results have superb quality. Truly, this is what every successful entrepreneur wants in the end!