When Multitasking is Sabotaging You (And Why Sequential Focus Prevails)

Despite the widespread myth, neuroscience has shown that genuine multitasking doesn’t exist for most tasks—our brain just switches rapidly, losing focus and wasting energy. In practice, trying to juggle too many projects at once leads to errors, slower output, and nagging stress. Professionals, students, and artists who appear super-productive usually have a secret: they chunk their work, focusing on one project at a time and shifting only when real progress has been made.

Sequential tasking allows your mind to fully engage, recognize deeper patterns, and reach that 'flow' state where time seems to fly. The friction of repeated task-switching, like toggling between emails and essays, is subtle but costs hours every week and drains creativity. Instead, successful individuals use small rituals—a cleared desk, headphones, or timer blocks—to stay in one lane for meaningful periods. When they move on, they actually celebrate switching, using breaks as mental reset buttons.

Behavioral science terms this 'task batching'—and research consistently finds it generates both higher output and workplace satisfaction.

Try writing down every single project or task running through your head right now, and decide intentionally which one you’ll give your all for the next block of time. Create a little ritual—maybe shutting down email or leaving your phone in another room—and don't switch to the next thing until you've reached a natural break. Even if the urge to check up on other things is strong, hold out. Notice how much more energy and clarity you have, and how your ideas solidify when you work this way. Try this structure for just one day and feel the change.