Multitasking can be a great way to utilize time that otherwise would be wasted. I often talk to friends on the phone while doing housework, and I rarely board the train without something to read.

But multitasking isn’t always the best idea. Parents don’t let their kids watch TV while doing their homework, for example. That’s because they know children can’t really do both. One activity will dominate at the expense of the other, and it likely will be the homework that suffers.