124 Hilarious Fails From People Who Had Exactly One Job And Still Managed To Mess It Up Spectacularly

Multitasking could be one of the many reasons to fail at a straightforward job. Even thinking about the next task while doing the current one can throw you off. 

While the rare 2.5% of people can juggle multiple tasks, most studies show that switching between jobs can make brain function less efficient.

According to neuropsychologist Dr. Cynthia Kubu, the main problem here is losing the ability to focus enough to take in information. 

“If we’re constantly attempting to multitask, we don’t practice tuning out the rest of the world to engage in deeper processing and learning,” she said in an interview with the Cleveland Clinic.

Cognitive biases may also play a role in these crucial, avoidable mistakes. As psychiatrist Neel Burton explains, these mental shortcuts often lead to bad decisions, which ultimately result in these botched jobs. 

“A cognitive bias is a mental shortcut or heuristic intended to spare us time, effort, or discomfort—often while reinforcing our self-image or worldview—but at the cost of accuracy and reliability,” he wrote.

Decision fatigue is one reason why we take mental shortcuts. But as Burton explains, you can actually use it to your advantage and minimize errors. 

“Owing to decision fatigue, people become more risk-averse with successive decisions. So if you are after a bold decision, try to arrange it so that your case gets looked at first thing in the morning, or right after lunch,” he stated.

Avoiding multitasking can also lessen the likelihood of decision fatigue. According to Dr. Kubu, it’s why a good surgeon can perform at their best, which is why she encourages everyone to focus on just one task at a time. 

“People assume that a surgeon’s skill is primarily in the precision and steadiness of their hands. While there’s some truth to that, the true gift of a surgeon is the ability to single-mindedly focus on one person and complete a series of tasks over the course of many hours,” she said.