Only 2% of People Can Multitask Successfully

Pride yourself on multitasking? You may need to take a closer look at how you tackle your to-do list.

Despite the numerous gadgets and apps that help us get through our days, research suggests that only 2% of people can multitask effectively. As for the remaining 98%? They’re actually lessening their productivity without even realizing it.

This infographic from OnlineCollege.org details how often we confuse multitasking with actual distraction. For example, employees who use a computer for work are, on average, distracted every 10.5 minutes. Students who bring their laptops to class aren’t doing much better, since 62% of the web pages that they open during class are completely unrelated to the lecture. And what about the 67% of people who check their email or use a mobile web browser while on a date?

Focusing on more than one thing decreases your productivity by 40% and lowers your IQ by 10 points, according to Harvard Business Review. And it almost goes without saying how dangerous it is to multitask while driving.

Source: Only 2% of People Can Multitask Successfully [INFOGRAPHIC]