It’s fitting that when you search for the term ‘multitasking’, Google images will show you a person who doesn’t exist. They’re usually suited, stressed and sat behind a desk – so far, so relatable. But on closer inspection, they’ve been doctored to have six arms; a visual representation of just how much they’re managing to juggle. Must be nice.
As a generation who grew up hearing that ‘hustling’, ‘locking in’ and being as productive as possible was the way to find fulfillment, it’s little wonder so many of us multitask to simply get through the day. There are not enough hours to exercise and cook healthy meals and be great friends and excel in our careers and nurture our passions and wash our socks and also find time to relax in between, and so we stack tasks in a desperate bid to stay on top of it all. Perhaps you call your parents while you’re working out; tinker with documents during meetings; or scroll socials and watch TV and try to catch up with your partner, all at once. For many of us it’s become a point of pride, a skill we humble-brag about in job interviews. But what if we’ve been sold a lie?
The concept of multitasking emerged in the first tech boom of the 1960s, in reference to using a computer to carry out two or more tasks simultaneously. Later came the gendered trope of women as ‘natural multitaskers’, making them believe they were simply wired to handle the socially constructed juggle of running a household, caring for others, having a paid job and contributing to the wider community – and faulty if they couldn’t.
But, from the Wages For Housework campaign of the 1970s to the Great Resignation of burnt out women in 2021, several movements have poked holes in the myth of multitasking, showing it up as an unsustainable and unhealthy way to live. In fact, from as early as the mid-1990s scientists have proven that trying to ‘do it all’ not only negatively impacts your efficiency, it actively erodes your brain’s capacity over time, too. A lose-lose situation, you’ll surely agree.
Dr Alan Barnard, a decision scientist and CEO of Goldratt Research Labs, confirms this harsh truth: each new piece of research shows that trying to do simultaneous tasks makes you slower and less effective at all of them. “Our studies have found that when someone multitasks three projects, even if they plan a reasonable buffer when setting a deadline, they don’t deliver any of them on time because of the time and mental focus that is lost when switching back and forth between them,” he says. “Additionally, they felt completely overwhelmed and made more mistakes than if they performed the projects one at a time.”
When you’re flitting between, say, trying to send an email, soothe a stressed out colleague, choose a birthday gift for a friend and put together a pitch deck, your brain is having to recalibrate with every switch in focus; a major energy drain. This not only leads to brain fog and fatigue, but also lowers your ability to make good decisions as the day goes on – hence a simple question about what to have for dinner at 6pm might make you snap. Dr Barnard explains. “The more switches and decisions your brain has to make, the quicker you become cognitively overloaded earlier in the day; you have limited capacity left, you avoid making decisions and go for the lowest-risk option if you do happen to make a choice,” he says. “Women on average make many more decisions every day than men, partly because they feel more responsible for everyone around them, so the cognitive overload is greater.”
While the conversation around multitasking clearly has roots in systemic inequality, it makes total sense that we try to ease the load of our to-do lists by attempting the six-arm circus act. But all the data is telling us it’s time to banish the idea of the ‘superwoman’ multitasker and replace it with something that’s not only more attainable, but actually yields better results. Often it’s the smallest changes that actually shift the dial from overwhelm to ease. Here are four expert-backed tips to start single-tasking today. Your brain will thank you.
How To Stop Multitasking & Start Getting Things Done
1. First Things First: Prioritise
Making a to-do list is only half the job; the real power is in prioritising those tasks from most important downwards. Only then can you focus on each one in turn, knowing the most urgent things will definitely get done. As Dr Barnard says: “If everything is given equal priority, you’re drawn to multitask, and every task suffers.”
2. Go Big In The Morning
Your cognitive capacity is at its highest in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Work with your brain rather than against it; do your most challenging or creative tasks earlier in the day to build momentum and leave the things you can do on autopilot until later.
3. Curate Your Environment
Is your space set up to support your mission to nix multitasking or is it riddled with distractions? Be intentional by leaving your phone in another room while you tackle a presentation, closing certain computer tabs while you’re in an important meeting or making sure you’ve got a supply of coffee, water, nutritious snacks to help you whizz through the matter at hand.
4. Try An AI-Powered Hack
It may sound counterintuitive to use your phone (a convicted time thief) to help you single-task, but there are apps designed to do just that. Endel plays AI-powered soundtracks engineered to help your brain focus and tune out distracting sounds and interruptions until your to-do list is complete – no extra limbs required.
Additional words by Meena Alexander.
