The Lies of Multitasking

“To do two things at once is to do neither.” — Publilius Syrus

Multitasking is not a real capability we have as humans. We can switch between tasks frequently. This frequent switching is what we call multitasking. The reality of this practice is we are not focusing on any one task. Switching tasks also causes us to lose our focus on the previous task we were working on. Once focus is lost, it takes us some time to get back into a state of high focus. The lack of total focus caused by multitasking means we are not working at our highest capacity and are inherently taking longer to do the task at hand. Trying to do two things at the same time is an effective way to get less done.

Focused work is where you are the most productive and do your best work. The reason for that is because you can slip into flow and focus on the task at hand. The one task, at hand. You aren’t worrying about your phone buzzing with a message, doing your laundry, or jumping from call to call. You are in the present moment alive with the desire of focusing and determination to finish what is in front of you. You are not bound by the lies of multitasking.

Gone are the days of spending hours multitasking. You no longer want to be someone who can listen to music and read at the same time, or even worse— studying and listening to music at the same time. That practice does not make sense and is ultimately a waste of time. As an adult, eliminating the frequency of multitasking can be as simple as leaving your phone in a different room as you work. Eliminate distractions to eliminate the desire to “multitask” and increase the output across your life.