Hurrah! I always like being right!

A new study has confirmed what I’ve been telling you for years: multi tasking is not good for you, no matter how skillful you think you are. While we may believe that we’re paying attention to two things at once, brain scans show the opposite.

What happens is that the brain actually has to perform a complex switching mechanism between activities. What this means is that it takes time and energy for the brain to make this switch, and then more time and energy to refocus on the first activity.

Ironically, what this new study shows is that those of you who think that you’re the best at it are actually the worst. How is that possible? My own theory is that people who are attracted to doing three things at once actually have that kind of ADD mind anyway. As I wrote in my book, STOP Pissing Me Off! What to do When the People You Work With Drive You Crazy, attention issues can affect every part of a person’s life and clearly start at the level of brain function, not as part of any character flaw.

If you are one of those people, you might want to consider getting help. If you manage one of those people, realize that you may have to put forth some extra time and energy to keep them on track. They can actually be very good workers if you manage them skillfully since one feature of ADD is the ability to hyper focus. Once they do focus on something, they tend to “lock in” to what they’re focusing on and pursue that activity intensely and sometimes obsessively.

As a manager, you can use this tendency to your advantage. They can be some of your best workers, willing to work long hours and frequently exhibit a great deal of creativity. But first you need to make sure that you supervise them closely and consistently so that you know they’re doing what you want them to do. They can be incredibly creative and smart, just not good at managing their own time and easily distracted.

Micro management has a bad rap but with new people or with people who have these kinds of issues, you need to do it.

Meanwhile, if you didn’t have ADD-like tendencies to start, it’s easy to acquire them in our world with its endless cell phones, Blackberries and IPod’s, leading us down the slippery slope to endless distraction. You many not have real ADD, just a severe case of modern life!

To recover from this malady, you just need to slow down. Do one thing at a time. Finish one task before you move onto something else. Have specific times during the day when you check email or cell phones. Oh, I know, your boss or your client expects you to be constantly available but they’re trainable. Just let them know that you’re working (on their project!) and that you’ll check back with them at specific times. Trust me, if you’re consistent and pleasant in setting these boundaries, eventually, they’ll adjust. And you, my friend will be a tiny bit less crazy.