Arthur was looking smart in his navy blue pinstriped suit.  It isn’t normal attire for a graduate student.  But this wasn’t a normal day–not for Arthur Hinton.  Today he stood behind a podium prepared to present his culminating research project to his committee.  Arthur’s study had analyzed the impact of selected everyday tasks on gait and balance.   To assess this, Arthur first had his participants walk normally on force platform (a mat with sensors to measure force displacement).  They were then asked to repeat the task at a rapid pace (‘as if you were late’).  They then walked on the platform several more times while performing various routine tasks.

Arthur’s findings were intriguing.  When asked to walk and carry a tray of cups, or walk while talking on a cell phone, both gait and balance were adversely affected.  In both instances, the participants’ walk slowed (gait) and they turned their toes out to maintain their balance. In other words, multitasking diminished performance.

Numerous studies have found that talking on a cell phone while driving greatly increases the chance of being involved in an accident.  Texting while driving is a death wish.  Same principle: doing more than one thing at a time makes it unlikely that you can do anything well.

The take home lesson for me was this: if what I am doing is really important, I have to concentrate on the singular task at the exclusion of all others.  If what I am doing doesn’t need to be done well, then I can combine it with other unimportant activities and multitask.  The multiple tasks will get done, but with minimal quality.  You can’t divide your attention if your intention is to perform well.  You can’t walk and talk at the same time.

About the Author – Paul G. Schempp

Dr. Schempp, president of Performance Matters, Inc., is a professional speaker, coach and consultant. Paul has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of research, teaching and professional development. Individuals and organizations in business, education and sport have elevated their expertise and achieved exceptional performance by working with Dr. Schempp.