We should tell Parkinson's folks to "single task" instead of "not to multi-task"
Check out our facebook video on single tasking versus multi-tasking in Parkinson’s.
What is single tasking?
Single tasking has also been referred to as mono-tasking.
A person should, when single tasking, commit to one task and try to avoid being interrupted while completing the task.
Multitasking is when you perform multiple tasks at one time and you divide the focus among the multiple tasks.
Many authors have offered reasons why single tasking has advantages over multitasking— a few common thoughts are that you will complete tasks with more precision and you will decrease stress. Studies have shown that single tasking can improve mood and happiness.
Parkinson’s disease folks who multi-task, commonly get into trouble with gait, balance and falling— including bone fractures.
Switching between tasks frequently results in inefficiency in the one task you want to complete.
Sandra Bond Chapman PhD. has a term called toxic multi-tasking and has argued that single tasking may actually make you smarter.
She argues that “multitasking is a brain drain that exhausts the mind, zaps cognitive resources and, if left unchecked, condemns us to early mental decline and decreased sharpness. Chronic multitaskers also have increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which can damage the memory region of the brain.”
I personally do not believe that all multi-tasking is bad.— I do however, after many years of clinical practice, believe— that as Parkinson’s disease progresses, single tasking can provide more life satisfaction, an improved safety profile and better mood.
Let’s stop telling Parkinson’s folks to stop multi-tasking and tell them to single task.
Koch and colleagues in a journal called the Psychological Bulletin recently reviewed the limitations in methodology of studies examining tasking.
