Multi-tasking Makes You Stupid

by Steven Terry

One of the things I teach in my class is that multi tasking is an enemy of performance and an article in Wall Street Journal some years back said “Multi tasking makes you stupid”.

As a road warrior I have learned to move very swiftly in and out of and through airports, hotels, and rental car facilities. On a recent trip to Dallas, I got into my rental car and noticed that a client had called me. As I’m driving through the facility, I decided to call my client back. I mean, why not? I had driven here many times before, this was an important client and I felt a sense of urgency.

I mean how difficult could it be for me to drive out of a rental car facility and talk to an ‘easy to talk to’ client at the same time? It was definitely easy - easy to feel stupid.

As I’m driving out, I see a red sign. What do you do at a red sign? Stop. So I stopped. Then I accelerated forward, slowly, but nevertheless forward. I continue to talk to my client about some concerns he had. Something strange happened.

It was like an episode of a tv show where everything slows down. It was a foggy day which is rare for Dallas. I noticed off to the left front of my car a guy appeared out of the mist. He looked like Jerry Seinfeld, wearing a Hertz jacket, and he was flapping his arms up and down, in slow motion. His mouth was moving and looked like he was saying Nooooooooo very slowly. My client on the other end seemed to be talking faster and faster and faster. Then “Jerry’s” arms changed formation as he waved them in front of him and his face changed. Changed to what? At the time I could not make it out. In hindsight it was, “Oh dear God?!!”

Guess what? The red sign was not a stop sign. It was a Do Not Enter sign. Those spikes work!!!! The sign said “Do not enter severe tire damage.”

Suddenly it seemed like everything sped up. There was a thud, my foot hit the brake, and my client continues to talk. I had to tell him I would need to call him back. “Something has come up” I said. Yeah quite right it had. I looked out of my window to witness my left front tire “pssssssssssssssssss” as it deflated. Somehow I was lucky. Only one tire was spiked. I was able to stop the car before the back tires went over and the right front missed.

“Jerry” proceeded to tell me to back up. I reversed the car back to the Hertz check out counter. As I looked out the back window, I see the man who had checked me out minutes earlier. He threw his arms up in the air, and although I couldn’t see what he mouthed, I think he said “There’s that Effective EDGE guy again”….
So, is multi tasking worth it? No! Did I get any more done? Yes, actually I did - I popped a tire. Now that is very “effective.”