I think a lot about productivity. I rarely feel productive. I don't think I'm alone.
Our culture is full of all kinds of ideas about how to get the most done, and a lot of it isn't true. We believe things like the idea that multitasking will help us get more done. Workplaces believe things that aren't true too, like how wonderful open offices are for increasing communication.
Here are three common productivity myths, alongside studies that help us see what the research says.
Multitasking isn't faster than focused work
Multitasking gets things done faster than focusing on one thing at a time. Right? Research suggests not.
Every time you switch from one task to another there is a slight time cost. "Although switch costs may be relatively small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks," according to a summary from the American Psychological Association. "Thus, multitasking may seem efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and involve more error."
This is backed by decades of research. A widely cited 2001 study tested subjects on two different kinds of tasks: visual pattern classification and math problems. It found that switching time costs occurred reliably, and their magnitude increased with the complexity of the rules needed for the tasks being switched between. Which is to say, switching from one task to another takes time, and it takes up even more time when the tasks are complex. The effect is worse if you're switching from a familiar task to an unfamiliar one.
You might think you can get better at multitasking with practice, but research suggests the opposite. A 2009 study found that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on a test of task-switching ability, likely because of a reduced ability to filter out interference from the irrelevant task.
Basically, humans can't multitask the way a computer can. The best we can do is switch between tasks, and there's a cost to switching.
Open offices don't boost anything
This, shall we say, isn't a myth many who actually have to work in an open office believe. But it is something often said in favour of the layout: open offices are great for company culture.
The idea is that tearing down walls and having everyone work side by side will increase conversation between workers and generally lead to more innovation. The problem: research suggests the opposite is true.
A 2018 study directly examined the transition to an open office plan at two companies. The researchers used wearable sensor badges to collect data about face-to-face interaction, then collected data about electronic communication. They found face-to-face interaction actually declined, by around 70 percent.
"In short, rather than prompting increasingly vibrant face-to-face collaboration, open architecture appeared to trigger a natural human response to socially withdraw from officemates and interact instead over email," the study concludes.
This is far from a unique finding. A 2021 review found that working in open-plan designs is associated with more negative outcomes on many measures relating to satisfaction, productivity and social relationships, adding that such layouts increase stress.
Brainstorming works better alone, actually
How many brainstorming meetings have you sat through at work? Probably more than you like, and the assumption is usually that this is a proven way to come up with ideas.
Except it isn't. And what's interesting is how long there's been research showing that brainstorming as a group isn't effective. A 1958 paper showed that students were better at solving problems alone than they were in groups of four. "To the extent that the results of the present experiment can be generalized, it must be concluded that group participation when using brainstorming inhibits creative thinking," the abstract reads.
A 1987 study found the same thing, that brainstorming as a group is less effective than brainstorming as an individual. Both of these papers are highly cited and not particularly controversial among researchers.
Has modern technology helped make group brainstorming more effective? Certainly not video calls. A 2022 paper shows that brainstorming over video conferencing is less effective than in person. "Our results suggest that virtual interaction comes with a cognitive cost for creative idea generation," the study concludes.
Basically, brainstorming in a group, online or off, is worse than brainstorming alone.