Update: I posted this yesterday, then I went back this morning and read it again. After taking another look, I added some more thoughts on this topic.

The term Multi-Tasking is usually used to describe someone working on multiple things at once. This has so far meant that somebody was working above the expected level of effort, or what we would define as “just working”. However, what happens when multi-tasking becomes “just working”, i.e. the everyday standard? That is what I think is happening in many workplaces today, regardless of the industry.

With the advances in computers and the rapidly expanding use of the Internet for many aspects of today’s businesses, it has become easier than ever for the average employee to perform at least two tasks at one time, if not more. Because a much larger percentage of the workforce has the ability to perform multiple tasks at once now, employers are starting to expect employees to multi-task as part of their day to day operations. Therefore, when somebody says they are “just working”, more often than not they are multi-tasking as opposed to purely working on one task.

Is the term “multi-tasking” really outdated then? I don’t think the definition is outdated, however I do believe the traditional connotations are. For example, if I hear the term “multi-tasking” used, I don’t immediately think of someone working extra hard. This is because I multi-task all the time, so it’s just a matter of course for me. Instead, I just think that the person is working at a normal speed and level of effort. In fact, in an interesting twist, when somebody is only working on one task, it sometimes makes me feel like they should be doing more. While this is highly dependent on what task they are working on (some tasks do require all of a persons attention), a good portion of the time they could be working on more, but for whatever reason are not.

Overall, since “multi-tasking” has pretty much turned into the norm at many workplaces, I think that we either need to:

1.) Come up with a new word to express the original meaning behind “multi-tasking”, i.e working above and beyond the call of duty. I vote we call this word “Oh-my-god-my-head-is-going-to-explode”.

Or

2.) Forget it, take an actual vacation once and awhile, and kill this awful trend of working 24/7 at 100 mph all the time.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments section of this post.