Cognitive Switching Penalty
This is a preview of a concept contained in The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman, a book that will help you master the fundamentals of business, hone your business instincts, and save a fortune in tuition. The Personal MBA distills the most powerful principles of business and delivers them quickly and concisely. Order your copy now…
What is the “Cognitive Switching Penalty”?
“Rule your mind or it will rule you.” — Horace, first-century B.C. Roman poet
Key Points:
- Neurologically, multitasking is impossible. You are not really doing two things, you’re switching your attention from one thing to the other. Productive multitasking is a myth.
- Every time you switch your attention from one subject to another, you incur the Cognitive Switching Penalty. Your brain spends time and energy thrashing, loading and reloading contexts.
- To avoid unproductive switching, it’s best to group similar tasks together. That way your brain needs to load the context into working memory only once. You’ll get more done with less effort.
Questions for Consideration:
- How often do you try to multitask?
- Can you rearrange your schedule to batch similar tasks together?
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