Is Your Drive For Efficiency Slowing You Down?

When was the last time you worked on just one thing?

We’re all so used to (thinking we’re) doing multiple activities at the same time: texting and driving (don’t do that), emailing or checking Facebook while you’re on a Zoom call or webinar, etc. Your mind is constantly occupied, so you must be getting a lot done, right?

Wrong.

The brain can’t do two complex things at the same time. Yes to walking and chewing gum, no to simultaneously reading emails and listening to a Zoom call. Definitely no to texting and driving!

February 22 is one of the best days of the year for anyone who wants to improve productivity. It’s (drumroll, please) … Single Tasking Day! That’s because bus-y-ness is bad for your bus-i-ness.

Task-switching is tiring and drains your productivity

What did you try to be more effective in 2025? Getting up early in the morning? Time tracking software? Generative AI? Other tech tools?

Some of these ideas MIGHT help you at the margins. If you still think multitasking is the way to go, you’re putting a hard ceiling on how productive you can actually be. Not only that, some of these ideas actively work against you – like getting up early if you’re a person whose energy doesn’t peak until afternoon or evening.

 Ever noticed that on those days where you did a lot of “stuff” – not necessarily anything important, you were “busy” – that you feel wiped out at the end of the day? 

Switching between tasks tires out your brain. Every time you switch, there’s a little energy leakage that you can’t get back that day. This is true whether you’re trying to do two things simultaneously, or you just switch between different types of tasks all day. 

Think you’re multitasking smoothly? That you’re simultaneously reading email and listening to the speaker? You know that’s not really happening, because you end up reading the same email several times. Or you lose track of what the speaker is saying and have a hard time picking back up where you left off to read an email.

What actually happens when you believe you’re multitasking is that your brain switches back and forth rapidly between the two tasks. That gives you the illusion that you’re multitasking, but all you’re doing is dividing your attention between the tasks, which slows you down.

Focus improves productivity in the workplace 

If you think you multitask a lot, you’re not actually very efficient. When you divide your focus between two tasks, you’re not multiplying your focus, you’re dividing it in half. As in, you’re now half-assing both tasks. 

If you’re switching focus between three tasks then you’re third-assing it. And so on.

Maybe it seems less productive to “only” do one thing at a time. We’re all so used to having so many things available to do that trying to do multiple things at once seems like it makes sense. Also, our computers can do more than one thing at a time, and they’re very fast.

Our brains in some ways are far more powerful than computers. That being said, computers don’t get tired when you rapidly switch between tasks – but brains do.

When you do one thing at a time, you can bring your full attention to what you’re doing. Single-tasking requires more thought and intentionality. Being busy means you attend to whatever’s in front of you, even if it’s unimportant. 

Being productive means you prioritize instead. That allows you to concentrate on the important things that move your business forward – so you have time to work AND time to play (which replenishes your brain and your energy.)

Other benefits of single tasking (AKA monotasking)

Parents want to have quality time with their kids. But what exactly does that mean? 

Quality time isn’t sitting around the table together not listening to anyone because you’re on your phone. It means being with your kid, emotionally as well as physically. You don’t have to do activities necessarily. You can just hang out and be present with each other.

That goes for all relationships. When you’re with the other person, be with the other person. 

Not with your phone, or their phone, or your Zoom call. Your “task”, if you want to call it that, is to really be present with them. Listen to what they’re actually saying, not what you think they’re saying. 

Ever walked from one room into another and tried to figure out what you went in there for? I can pretty much guarantee you started to think about something else almost immediately as soon as you started walking, and that’s why you forgot. Consider being mindful about it instead – think about what you’re doing as you’re doing it.

You don’t have to only focus on one aspect of one thing to be single tasking. I like to go for long hikes by myself. I try to take in everything about the experience: the tiny purple flower almost hidden in the rocks on the trail, what the air smells like, the birdsong (if any, sometimes the canyons are dead quiet), and the critters.

Recap

Multitasking isn’t possible and switching from task to task is tiring for your brain. Spend time where you’re playing instead of thinking, and single task by being present with what you’re doing or who you’re with. It’s good for your relationships too.

Having trouble accomplishing the important work in your business? I can help you remove unnecessary waste. Schedule a free call with me to see if we’re a good fit to work together.

Photo by Mindspace Studio on Unsplash.