Wellth Works

Multitasking isn’t the silver bullet of productivity we seem to think it is.

We’re on the same page here, right?

Women are often believed to be more capable of handling multiple tasks at the same time (which comes as a surprise to no one), but here’s the thing:

Regardless of gender identity, data dispels the myth of multitasking time and time again.

Turns out, men and women are equally bad at multitasking–not that anyone was ever good at it in the first place. According to The American Psychological Association, multitasking can diminish our productivity upwards of 40%. Still, women continue to bear the burden of expectation, whether it’s taking a Zoom call and grocery shopping or tuning into a webinar with a baby on one hip and a laundry basket on the other.

According to an article from Chief, this expectation seeps into the workplace, causing women to take on “non-promotable tasks” at the office–busy work that helps their organizations but does nothing to advance their careers.

“These are usually shorter-term assignments that need to be done quickly,” says Dr. Laurie Weingart, Professor and the author of “The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work.”

“These tasks are the interrupters, as opposed to the work you're hired to do… These tasks tend to be less tightly tied to the organization’s bottom line, and they tend to be behind the scenes and less visible. When you define it that way, it’s much more than office housework or taking notes or getting the birthday cake.”

The formula is simple: If you put yourself out there, your effort will be noticed, right? Turns out, being a team player doesn’t always equal advancement in the office–not for women, anyway. For the many hours women spend going the extra mile at work–volunteering to take meeting notes, onboarding new employees, and organizing team happy hours–does the data point to any real benefit for their careers?

Nope, not really.

From where we sit, “no” is the new multitasking.

Say it with us:

“Not today–I don’t have the bandwidth.”
“No, thank you–I’ve got a big project on my desk.”
“Not this time–but ask again.”

When in doubt, remember that “no” is a full sentence.

Hot girl summer isn’t worth the cost of happy girl summer.

Or healthy girl summer.
Or honest girl summer.
Or humble girl summer.

An alternative:

Human-first summer.

As in, “I acknowledge my needs as an individual before I acknowledge a one-size-fits-all beauty standard.” In fact, this may be the meaning of hot girl summer after all.

Paging . 📞

Sure–you have the same number of hours in the day as Beyonce.

But let’s level with each other: You don’t–you really don’t.

Not unless you have a nanny.

Or a housekeeper.
Or a chef.
Or a trainer.
Or a personal assistant.
Or a full-time staff on your payroll to ensure your day runs smoothly.

To say that you have the same number of hours in the day as Beyonce is a half-baked platitude at best. At it’s worst, it fails to acknowledge the inherent privilege behind “taking back” your day. Our time is not equal. Our days don’t exist in the same way.

So the next time someone tries to tell you that you’re not doing enough–that Beyonce managed to birth twins and have the performance of her life at Coachella in the same year–remember this:

You may have the same number of hours in the day as Beyonce, but you don't have nearly as much time.

(And that’s okay.)