The Myth of Multitasking

For all we know, at the moment I’m writing this article, I could be replying to messages, scrolling through social media, watching a K-drama, and listening to a Spotify playlist, all while convincing myself that I’m still being productive. After all, I’m doing a lot of tasks at the same time!

Nowadays, being a “good multitasker” is something that people often take as a compliment—proof that one can handle everything all at once. In a world that glorifies busyness, being able to juggle multiple tasks in one go feels less like a bad habit and more like a flex. The more things you can do at the same time, the more productive you must be—or at least, that’s what society makes us believe.

Almost everyone has experienced this situation before.  You’re sitting down to study with your phone beside you and a determination to focus that lasts only until a notification pops up. You quickly check it, and before you know it, twenty minutes are gone. Time passed quickly, making it hard to tell how productive the session actually was, making you feel tired, stressed, and distracted. 

This is a prime example of what happens when we think we’re multitasking.  In reality, we’re not. Contrary to popular belief, humans can’t actually multitask. Our brains simply aren’t wired to handle two or more demanding tasks at the same time. When we think we are multitasking, what we are doing instead is rapidly switching between tasks—a process known as “task-switching.” Each time your attention shifts from notes to a text or from a lecture to a notification, your brain uses time and energy to refocus. While these constant switches may seem harmless, they actually drain our limited productive window and mental resources.

Research shows that multitasking reduces both efficiency and accuracy. This means that tasks take longer to complete, and mistakes become more common. Instead of saving time, multitasking drags work out and lowers the quality of results. Yet, it still makes us feel productive because task-switching taps into the brain’s reward system. Unpredictable alerts trigger dopamine hits—brief bursts of pleasure or excitement that make distractions feel rewarding, even when they aren’t helping us get real work done.

Over time, multitasking becomes a habit, especially for students who do it on a regular basis. Ironically, however, students who multitask often spend more time on their work while accomplishing less. This is because many equate productivity with how busy they look or feel rather than how effective they actually are. In a student’s case, it could look like spending long hours on “studying” even when information isn’t actually being retained. When this happens, learning becomes surface-level, with an emphasis on completion rather than true understanding. 

The adverse effects of multitasking don’t stop at academics. Constant multitasking has been shown to increase mental stress and fatigue. The brain never gets a chance to fully engage or fully rest, leading to burnout and anxiety. The pressure to always be doing something—whether that is responding, checking, or switching—also creates a cycle of exhaustion. Multitasking not only makes us less productive, but also more overwhelmed.

The solution to getting things done more efficiently isn’t to do more at once—it’s actually to do less at once. When we give our undivided attention to one task, our brain is able to work and absorb information more efficiently. This is why techniques like single-tasking and the Pomodoro method are effective, having been designed to limit distraction and encourage focused work in short, uninterrupted intervals. Removing distractions, even temporarily, allows the same amount of work to be done, potentially in less time and with better results.

Ultimately, multitasking creates the illusion of productivity, but it’s actually quite the opposite. While it may feel productive on the surface, it undermines focus and performance. In a culture that rewards constant activity, choosing to slow down and concentrate on one task at a time may feel counterintuitive, but it’s the key to meaningful progress—not constant busyness.