Those who multitask often give the air of being able to juggle a number of tasks at once. The act is the embodiment of every career-minded person on the silver screen: Crossing a bustling New York street, carrying a coffee whilst being on the phone to their ever-demanding boss – it’s how stuff gets done, right?

However, in actual fact multitaskers are often less productive than the people who simply stick to one task at a time until they’ve finished it.

Not convinced? Here are some other reasons why you should give up multitasking:

You’ll be more focused on the task at hand

By hanging up your multitasking coat you’re offering your brain a little rest from all the chaos fear of missing out brings. When you flit from one window to another, one task to another and one conversation to another you’re dividing up your attention between however many tasks you’ve got on the go.

This doesn’t mean that you’re offering each task equal attention, however. Unfortunately as you’re splitting your time, you’re splitting focus too. By giving up multitasking you’re taking all of that divided attention back to basics and letting it focus on one thing at a time, which means you aren’t wasting energy considering whether there are

Less likely to make errors

When you’re focused and thinking of just one task at a time, it will come as no surprise that you’re less likely to make errors when completing it. When multitasking it’s much more likely that something, however small or big, will slip through the cracks.

It could be a typing error, or it could be a significant discrepancy in your accounts. However big or small, it’s always best to keep the potential for error to a minimum, which is why you should stick to completing one thing before you start to take on another.

More feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day

If you are completing one task at a time, you’re able to get a bit lost in it. You can succumb to the world of whatever you’re doing and allow yourself to become completely immersed in it because you aren’t dipping in and out of several menial tasks at a time.

When you master the skill of focusing your energy on one thing, you usually head out of work with a bigger sense of accomplishment, as you’ve really committed to what you’ve been doing and as a result, completed more work to a higher standard.

While we’re all prone to some more productive days than others, working in this way means you’re more likely to be productive than not, whatever your workload is like that day.

You’ll be a better team member

If you’re working with in a team, multitasking can even be the source of friction between team members.

If you’re becoming less focused than other people, you could be accused of not pulling your weight – in which case things could get very tense, very quickly.

Avoid this by strategically working so that you aren’t wasting precious time – even more important if you’re all working towards the same project goal.

You won’t become subject to needy clients

While the fear of missing out is one of the main reasons we choose to get rid of that pesky email notification, it’s something we can learn to ignore, provided it isn’t urgent.

There’s also a bonus to leaving emails to later, as it means clients won’t be on your back for a reply 24/7.

If you’re replying to emails at the drop of a hat, your clients will begin to expect this short turnaround in response time whenever they send you even the most mundane of questions.

Are you a serial multitasker? How will you kick the habit? Drop your comment below or get in touch over on Twitter or Facebook!