How would you like to get things done faster, with better results? Be more focused, less fragmented? Have better information retention? More tasks brought to completion?

If you said “;Yes!”; the answer lies in stopping yourself from doing something that almost everyone does, thinks is necessary, and believes is efficient.

What is it? Multitasking. It's not the best option, at least when high priority and complex tasks are involved.

Multitasking is something almost everyone does. I start my day multitasking—I eat my breakfast while reading the morning newspaper and listening to the television.

I think I'm getting three things done instead of one, but besides eating breakfast, which doesn't require much brain attention, it's questionable how much real information I'm actually getting by reading and listening to different topics from two different media. Thankfully, with few exceptions, the information is not critical to my day.

If you are a hard-core multitasker involved in critical and complex tasks, here are some things to consider:

Is it possible for our brains to multitask?

No, according to John Medina, author of “;Brain Rules.”; “;Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth,”; he says. “;The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially, one at a time. Research shows that we can't multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously.”;

In agreement is neuroscientist Rene Marois, who says that a core limitation of our brains is an inability to concentrate on two things at once.

What are we are actually doing?

Just as our eyes can focus on only one thing at a time, our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. When we multitask, what we're actually doing is quickly shifting our attention back and forth between tasks.

Is there a price that we pay?

There are several:

» The job will take longer with more chances for mistakes.

Multitasking slows us down. According to Medina, there are four steps that must occur in sequence in our brains each time we switch from one task to another. Collectively, they are time-consuming.

» There can be more errors. Medina writes that studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task and makes up to 50 percent more errors.

» Learning is more difficult. Divided attention can dilute comprehension and retention, making information harder to learn.

» It's harder to remember. According to psychology professor Hal Pashler, the hidden cost of multitasking is that tomorrow we may be unable to recollect what happened today. We can lose track of previous progress and may need to reconstruct where we left off.

While there are some successful multitaskers with good working memories who are able to pay attention to several inputs one at a time, those people are few and far between.

Realizing that I've been paying the price for constant multitasking—tasks taking longer, I forget what's been done, too many tasks are not completed—I've been consciously “;monotasking,”; giving my full attention to high priority and complex duties. I've been surprised at the newfound focus and discipline that's been developed.

When it comes to important work, let's be selective in what we multitask and what we “;monotask”;.

In my next column, I'll share if and when multitasking is successfully possible. See you in two weeks!

Ruth Wong owns Organization Plus. Her column runs the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Contact her by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).