70% of workers believe this lie about themselves-and it's sabotaging their output - Silicon Canals

"Research shows that 70 percent of workers believe they're above average at multitasking. Here's the problem: that's statistically impossible. And this delusion is killing our productivity. I've fallen for this trap myself. During my years in corporate, I prided myself on juggling multiple projects, answering emails during meetings, and keeping dozens of browser tabs open. Running my own company later taught me a harsh truth-what I thought was efficiency was actually just organized chaos."

"We've built an entire work culture around this lie. Job descriptions demand "excellent multitasking skills." Managers praise employees who can "wear many hats." We brag about our ability to handle multiple things at once like it's a badge of honor. But here's what University of Utah psychology Professor David Strayer discovered: "The people who are most likely to multitask harbor the illusion they are better than average at it, when in fact they are no better than average and often worse.""

Seventy percent of workers believe they are above average at multitasking, which is statistically impossible. Multitasking creates a false sense of productivity while actually reducing effectiveness and increasing time to complete tasks. Habitual task-switching is driven by the brain's craving for stimulation, leading people to reach for phones, open new tabs, or choose easier tasks when bored or challenged. Workplace norms and job descriptions reward multitasking, reinforcing the behavior. Empirical research shows frequent multitaskers often perform no better and sometimes worse than average. Personal experience from corporate and entrepreneurial work reveals that apparent efficiency from multitasking often hides disorganized, error-prone work.

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