We've been told that multitasking is good for enhancing work productivity, but we know intuitively that constant multitasking exhausts us because the word "multitasking" contradicts what we do. After all, we don't succeed at multitasking, while computers do. We just switch between tasks.
The word "multitasking" suggests that you can do two or more things at once, but our brains only allow us to do one thing at a time. Since the human brain cannot switch between "topic contexts" when switching tasks, we must constantly switch between multiple tasks, which negatively impacts performance and increases stress.
Switching tasks is nothing new, but it poses a new challenge with so many sources of information. The constant flow of information from emails, conversations, phone calls, and documents imposes new burdens on memory. Remembering details while switching from one topic to another requires mental flexibility. How do you switch between tasks without losing your train of thought?
Productivity Tools Make It Harder to Switch Tasks
A new type of software, operating under the framework of "workplace chat, has launched a new chapter in productivity tools. These tools are meant to boost employee productivity and make work more enjoyable, but this is not true.
These tools were designed to help people communicate in the workplace instead of using email by using chat. In terms of developing such tools, this was successful. Following that, developers developed an ambitious plan to incorporate numerous unrelated applications into their systems. Their goal was to offer a store that would allow anyone to access all business information in one location. Paradoxically, these tools have resulted in unintended outcomes.
They increased the user's workload by creating a mountain of data, which hindered productivity rather than making tasks easier. In order to comprehend the information they were receiving, the user was compelled to mentally flip between tasks without the proper context or reference.
Later, another type of tool appeared that aimed to put all commonly used web applications together with a single login. However, every application stayed isolated in its own domain. It was easy enough to switch between apps, but each application contained different data. The link was missing among these applications. When navigating between applications that are centered around the same topic, the user needs to maintain any connections that may be there in mind.
An App to Link Data and Make Switching Tasks Natural
What if there was an app that harnessed the many communication tools in today's workplace to boost productivity? It keeps the task or topic's context intact, relieves users of the burden of remembering everything, and consolidates all relevant communications into a single thread. Data threads provide the user with relief.
Consider a client service representative who serves a large number of clients. They could bring up incoming emails or calls to begin the discussion. They might then assist other members of their team in replying to every client. Internal communication can be conducted using the chat system, with each client's conversations forming a specific topic.
It is tiring for the representative to change topics because they have to recall every email, chat, and phone conversation they have had with every client. They have to connect them to the conversations they had with their own staff as well. They may open multiple windows on their screen, one for email, one for chat, and so on, to relieve themselves. Although it is quite common, it is easy to see how this could get out of control.
Now, imagine an app that supports email, chats, and phone calls. When each client contacts their representative, a new topic thread begins, linking all subsequent communications with that client. By simply clicking on a different topic thread, the representative can quickly transition between clients, ensuring a timely and relevant response that boosts client satisfaction.
Switching topics is now very simple. All of this is achieved without changing the way the representative works.
What Is Missing Is Context?
Although we think we are multitasking, we are not really doing so. We are just switching tasks. Unfortunately, the apps that are meant to simplify our lives and make us enjoy our jobs end up getting in the way. Rather than making it easier for us to switch between tasks, they place a burden on our memory.
What these applications are missing is context. They do not allow the user to maintain the context of tasks while switching between them. Context is the link that holds it all together and makes switching tasks natural and productive.
While automation makes it very easy to maintain context when switching tasks, we can also do this in a structured way. You can create folders for each topic you want to track and save all related communications (emails, chats, shared documents, etc.) as PDF files or images. Although it is cumbersome, it somewhat reduces the pressure of keeping track of it all in your mind.
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