I feel like “multitasking” in the workplace doesn’t necessarily mean focusing your attention on two things simultaneously. An example of productive “multitasking”: say you’re working in tech and need to compile a build for an app that takes 10 minutes. Instead of staring off into space or browsing Reddit until it’s done, maybe there’s something else on your plate you can start or an email you can follow up on. It’s about managing time more than anything. People who think they have a lot of downtime because they’re sitting around and waiting for an automated task could probably find a way to work on multiple projects throughout the day while there is downtime.

There are instances of the “two tasks at once” that I see and I think is bad. For example people who bring their laptops to meetings to monitor something or continue working while trying to listen to the group discussion. Or people who call you over to take a look at something or ask for help while simultaneously chatting in an IM to someone else about some other issue. It’s rude and wastes everyone’s time. I hate it when people constantly ask me to repeat myself because they’re also engaged in something else, or chime in with an opinion that someone else literally just said.