The Myth of Multitasking

Why Doing Less Might Help You Achieve More

Do you find it hard to focus on one task for any length of time?

Do you have six tabs open on your laptop at all times, switching from one thing to another, convinced you're being productive?

That has definitely been me in the past, and if I'm honest, I still catch myself slipping back into those habits from time to time. For years, I wore multitasking like a badge of honour. I was the person who could answer emails while on a call, think about dinner while writing a report, reply to messages while watching television, and somehow juggle ten things at once. Being the person who "gets everything done" felt like something to be proud of.

But was I really getting more done? And perhaps more importantly, what was it doing to me? The truth is that one of the biggest productivity myths we've been sold is the idea that we can multitask effectively.

We Can't Actually Multitask

You might think you are multitasking, but our brains can't actually multitask. What we call multitasking is usually task-switching. Instead of doing multiple things simultaneously, our brains rapidly switch attention between tasks.

Every time we move from an email to a report, from a text message to a meeting, or from watching television to scrolling social media, our brain has to stop, refocus and reorient itself. That process takes energy.

Neuroscientists refer to part of this as "attention residue". Even after we've moved on to the next task, part of our brain remains focused on the previous one. We never quite give our full attention to what we're doing because a little piece of our mind is still elsewhere.

Research has shown that frequent task switching can reduce productivity, increase mistakes, impair memory and leave us feeling mentally exhausted.

Which makes perfect sense when you think about how many times most of us switch our attention in a typical day. No wonder we often end the day feeling drained despite never seeming to stop.

Why Focus Feels Harder Than Ever

In his fascinating book Stolen Focus, Johan Hari argues that our inability to concentrate isn't simply a personal failing. We are living in a world that is constantly competing for our attention.

• Emails arrive.

• Phones buzz.

• News alerts appear.

• Social media feeds refresh endlessly.

  
  

For most of human history, our brains were not exposed to this level of stimulation. Today, we consume more information in a single day than previous generations could have imagined. And our brains are struggling to keep up. Part of the reason comes down to dopamine.

Dopamine is often called the "feel good" chemical, but it is actually more closely linked to motivation and reward. Every time we encounter something new—a notification, a message, a social media like or an interesting headline—we get a small dopamine hit.

Our brains learn that checking our phones might lead to something rewarding.

So we check again. And again. And again.

The problem is that deep, meaningful work doesn't provide the same instant reward.

Reading a report, writing an article, studying, listening attentively in a meeting or even having a conversation with someone we care about requires patience. The rewards come later. Our brains gradually become conditioned to seek novelty rather than depth.

The TV and Phone Trap

One of the clearest examples of this is something many of us do every evening.

We sit down to relax and watch television, but we're not just watching television. We're scrolling social media. Replying to messages. Checking emails.. Browsing online shops. Reading the news. - Sound familiar?

Watching TV and scrolling at the same time can feel harmless, but our brains are still task-switching. We're not fully engaged with either activity. We miss parts of the programme, and we struggle to remember what we've watched. Instead of allowing our minds to rest, we continue feeding them a constant stream of information and stimulation. It's little wonder that so many people finish the day feeling mentally tired despite spending hours on the sofa.

The Impact on Our Mental Health

This constant state of divided attention doesn't only affect productivity. It affects our wellbeing too.

When our brains are continually switching between tasks, our nervous systems rarely get a chance to settle. Many people describe feeling busy all day yet strangely unfulfilled. We can find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, anxious and mentally scattered.

There's often a feeling that we're constantly reacting rather than intentionally choosing where our attention goes. And perhaps that's what so many of us are really craving—not more productivity, but more presence. The ability to fully experience the moment we're in.

Retraining Our Brains to Focus

The good news is that our brains are incredibly adaptable. Just as we've trained ourselves into habits of distraction, we can train ourselves back towards focus. Think of focus like a muscle; the more we use it, the stronger it becomes.

One simple strategy is to work in focused blocks of time. You may have heard of the Pomodoro Technique, which traditionally involves 25 minutes of focused work followed by a short break. Personally, I often encourage people to start with just 20 minutes.

Twenty minutes focused on one task.

• No emails.

• No notifications.

• No checking your phone.

• No switching between tabs.

• Just one thing.

  
  

Most people are surprised by how much they achieve when they give a task their full attention for a short period of time. Not only does the work often improve, but we usually feel calmer too.

The Practices That Help Me

For me, one of the most powerful tools for improving focus has been meditation. Every morning I spend around 10 minutes meditating before I start my day. It's not long. It's not complicated. And my mind still wanders.

But that small daily practice helps me start the day with calm and clarity rather than immediately reacting to whatever is demanding my attention. Meditation teaches us something important: focus isn't about never getting distracted. It's about noticing when our attention has wandered and gently bringing it back. Again and again.

Another practice that helps me enormously is spending time in nature. You won't be surprised to hear me say that because I talk about it all the time. Being outside calms my nervous system, quietens my mind's endless to-do list and helps me reconnect with the present moment.

• Sometimes I walk.

• Sometimes I simply sit.

• Sometimes I daydream. And I love a daydream.

  
  

We've become so accustomed to filling every spare moment with information that we've forgotten the value of letting our minds wander naturally. Yet research shows that moments of reflection, rest and mind-wandering can support creativity, problem-solving and emotional wellbeing. Not every quiet moment needs to be filled.

Small Changes That Make a Big Difference

If you'd like to strengthen your focus, try a few simple experiments:

• Close unnecessary tabs.

• Turn off non-essential notifications.

• Schedule 20-minute focus sessions throughout your day.

• Batch emails together instead of checking them constantly.

• Leave your phone behind when you go for a walk.

• Read a book without simultaneously scrolling.

• Watch a programme without picking up your phone.

• Spend time outside without listening to a podcast or consuming information.

• Try a daily meditation practice, even if it's only five or ten minutes.

  
  

Most importantly, be patient with yourself; trying to focus in a world designed to distract you is hard and takes consistent practice.

Perhaps Focus Is the New Superpower

For a long time, I thought being busy was something to celebrate. I thought doing everything at once meant I was productive, successful and capable. Now I'm beginning to see things differently.

Perhaps the real skill isn't doing more. Perhaps it's being fully present with what we're already doing. One conversation. One task. One walk. One cup of tea. One moment.

In a world where countless companies compete for our attention every second of every day, protecting our focus may be one of the most important acts of self-care available to us. So I'd love to know:

What helps you focus? And did you manage to read this without flicking to something else halfway through?