PausesA 4-minute read
Multitasking feels efficient. You answer messages during a meeting, draft a report with the inbox open, and keep a podcast running while you plan the week. The research tells a different story. The American Psychological Association’s summary of task-switching studies concludes that the mind and brain were not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Single-tasking, doing one thing at a time until a natural stopping point, is the alternative the research points to.
What counts as multitasking
The APA defines it broadly. Multitasking can mean trying to perform two tasks at the same time, switching from one task to another, or performing two or more tasks in rapid succession. Most office multitasking is the second kind: rapid switching between email, chat, documents and calls.
What the experiments found
| Study, as summarized by the APA | Finding |
|---|---|
| Rogers and Monsell, mid-1990s | People were slower when switching tasks than when repeating one, even when the switch came on a fully predictable schedule. More time to prepare reduced the cost but did not remove it. |
| Rubinstein, Evans and Meyer, 2001 | In four experiments, young adults lost time every time they switched. The more complex the tasks, the more time they lost, and switching to unfamiliar tasks cost more than switching to familiar ones. |
| Yeung and Monsell, 2003 | In real life, switching also means remembering where you were in the task you return to, and deciding which task to do next. |
One finding is counterintuitive. In 1999, the APA notes, Renata Meuter and Alan Allport had bilingual people name digits in their first or second language depending on a background color. When the language changed, people were slower to switch into their first language, the more habitual one, than into their second. Switching back to the familiar is not free either.
Why small costs add up
A single switch may cost only a few tenths of a second, the APA notes, but the costs add up when people switch back and forth repeatedly. Its conclusion is that multitasking may seem efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and involve more error. Psychologist David Meyer has said that even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone’s productive time.
The researchers describe two stages in every switch: goal shifting, deciding to do this instead of that, and rule activation, turning off the rules for one task and turning on the rules for the next. Both, the researchers say, happen without our awareness.
Where multitasking is dangerous
The APA gives the starkest example: losing half a second to task switching can make a life-or-death difference for a driver on a cell phone traveling at 30 mph. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds, and that distracted driving killed 3,208 people in 2024. The road is the one place to single-task without exception; see Taking a Phone Break: Simple Rules for the Car, the Bedroom and the Workday.
When doing two things is fine
Not every combination is a problem. The APA’s own example is throwing in a load of laundry while talking to a friend, which will probably work out all right. The research points to avoiding multitasking above all with complex tasks. Folding laundry while listening to music is not the issue; writing a proposal while answering chat messages is.
How to single-task
- Choose the task and the stopping point before you start: the end of a section, a draft, a set of five emails.
- Close what you do not need: other tabs, the inbox, the chat window.
- Put the phone face down, on silent, out of reach.
- Keep a notepad for stray thoughts. Write them down instead of acting on them.
- At the stopping point, take a short break before switching; see Short Breaks During the Workday: Move, Breathe and Reset Between Tasks.
Tip: Batch the small stuff. Instead of answering messages as they arrive, answer them at set times, for example at 11, 2 and 4. Each batch is one switch instead of dozens.
Single-tasking at home
The same idea makes evenings calmer. Eat without a screen. Watch one show instead of watching while scrolling. Talk to the person in front of you. Read on paper. Each is a small act of doing one thing, and each removes a stream of switches from the end of the day. For more, see A Simpler Evening Routine: Winding Down the Way Sleep Experts Suggest and How to Slow Down in a Busy Life: Small Changes Backed by Public Health Guidance.
Expect it to feel slow at first
Keep the first focused blocks short, 20 or 30 minutes, and lengthen them as they become comfortable. A short break between blocks, away from the screen, gives you a natural point to decide what comes next.