The nearest you'll get to successful multitasking is walking down the street and chewing gum at the same time

by Mervin Straughan, April 2025

Think you can multi-task? You can’t and even if you attempted to, you'd be less efficient.

Many see multitasking as a portal to productivity Nirvana when, in fact, research states that it lengthens the time to complete activities by 40 per cent.

Given that humans are not capable of handling several cognitively-demanding tasks at the same time, all we're doing when we are, ostensibly, multitasking is switching tasks; shifting our focus from one task to another. Not only is this ineffective, it’s mentally draining.

Studies by Kirschner and De Bruyckere in 2017 have shown that multitasking is nothing more than shifting between tasks which means our brains have to reset each time. This uses much of our cognitive power and increases the risk of errors. Similarly, research by Psychology Today shows that this toggling between tasks slows down completion rates and leads to mental fatigue.

Further research by Michigan State University in 2018 supports the argument that it lowers efficiency and productivity and contributes to stress because it overwhelms us. 

It's estimated that tackling tasks this way requires up to 40 per cent more time.

We might feel we’re achieving more when the reality is that we’re achieving less because of this excessive tasking of the brain.

Single tasking, on the other hand, enables us to concentrate more deeply leading to better outcomes.