We had a quarterly meeting today. The contents of that meeting are probably classified and definitely boring, so we’re not delving into that. Towards the end, a comment triggered some people to add their two cents.

That comment that started it all:

Do not multitask!!!..

Another person:

Multitasking is a myth.

The third person:

This myth has been extensively normalized.

And while this was going on (mind you, the presentation is still going on as people chat), someone asks for a Gen AI image for multitasking. To this, one smart person replies: Sorry, we are not allowed to multitask.

Others felt that multitasking is inevitable.

I said nothing, of course, because I’m so shy (I’m so NOT). So, here’s my two cents that nobody is going to read and comment on.

Multitasking is a norm, and also a huge expectation from management. It’s just that nobody realizes how normal it is, and they don’t have the guts to admit that they expect us ALL to multitask.

Exhibit A

The first and obvious exhibit is the aforementioned meeting. People are half-paying attention to the presentation, their focus is divided by the on-going chat. It was pre-lunch so some had probably started munching on their salads already and prepping an attack on lunch. Some very IMPORTANT people might have a critical customer support ticket or something to work on. Self-admitted multi-taskers like me would be trying to finish their coding for the next story. Multitasking is inevitable, not a myth.

Exhibit B

Then there are evening meetings with our US counterparts. There is a discussion going on heavy on marketing and analytical terminology, and people like me are striving to make some sense of it. At the same time, the big boss is pinging in a local team channel commenting on some of the discussions. In another local team channel that doesn’t have big boss, another team member is making another comment which basically means that he has completely misunderstood the discussion. In a personal chat, yet another team member is asking me to ask a question on his behalf. AND, since it’s already 8:30 PM, I’m aching to get up from my desk and eat something before my sugar level makes me feel sick. Multitasking is a norm, not a myth.

Wait, there’s more.

Exhibit C

There are some open positions for managers, and the job description says: blah, blah, blah… Good at multi-tasking.

Ha!

I wanted to grab that screenshot and send it to my big boss. Who added it there? Why is it an expectation from a resource you’re about to hire? Why is multitasking part of job description if it’s a myth? Multitasking is expectation, not a myth.

Those who say otherwise lack the guts to say it out loud OR they are just too lazy and do one thing at a time and take forever to do their job and ALWAYS miss their deadline.

Alright, so that was the rant bubbling inside me. Now that it’s out, I feel so much better. Phew!

Shabana Mukhtar