Wellbeing | Are you guilty of 'polytasking'?

It’s common for employees to multi-task while working, as many opt to try and finish a few simple tasks all at the same time. However, this year has seen lifestyles dramatically change for everyone as Brits started to work from home amid the pandemic.

This meant that many had to juggle their work schedules alongside childcare, home-schooling and having a relationship, as well as any additional care and support that may be needed for other family members or friends.

As a result of this, it seems people are no longer just engaging in multi-tasking behaviour, where you complete more than one task at a time. It turns out modern Brits are now ‘polytasking’ – a new behavioural phenomenon where people try and complete many tasks at the same time, while also juggling other numerous demands placed on adults from competing roles in their life.

This new trend emerged following a study of 2,000 adults carried out by OPPO Mobile UK, which discovered that each adult has an average of seven different roles, with being a parent, partner and friend among the most common.