How multitasking fuels original thinking

• The ideal state of work is the ‘flow’ state, where we have a clear, long period of focussed work without any distraction.
• Busy periods of multitasking are generally seen as something that hinders our performance and increases stress, with visible cognitive strain and no upside.
• The brain struggles to do multiple tasks at the same time, as evident by the fact that when we are trying to type a sentence or talk over the phone, we don’t process any conversation that is coming from outside, becoming a little deaf for a few moments.

New studies which look at the long term effects of multitasking have shown that it enables creativity by tying together diverse actions, thoughts and ideas when the mind is free from rigid focus or diffused.

Juggling several thoughts at once can be confusing but can also increase the flexibility, originality and innovativeness of the thinking.