The Myth of Monotasking and Multitasking
Finding your productivity sweet spot.
The Multitasking Mirage
According to neuroscientist Dr. Eyal Ophir from Stanford, our brains aren't actually capable of focusing on multiple things simultaneously. What we call "multitasking" is really just rapid task-switching, and it's about as effective as listening to an audiobook whilst driving for the first time.
Every time you switch between tasks – from email to Slack to that document you're supposed to be editing – your brain uses energy. It's like a tiny cognitive tax you're paying, over and over, all day long. And by the time you finally sit down to work on your Substack, your brain feels like it's been through the mental equivalent treadmill workout.
The Monotasking Dream (and Its Pitfalls)
So, the solution must be monotasking, right? Just focus on one thing at a time, achieve flow state, and watch your productivity soar? Well, not so quiet.
While deep, focused work is crucial for writing (and sanity), there's a negative side to monotasking that nobody talks about. It's called attention blindness, and it's the cognitive equivalent of having blinders on. You might be laser-focused on crafting the perfect sentence, but you could be missing crucial information or opportunities in the process.
Remember that viral "invisible gorilla" experiment? The one where people focused on counting basketball passes completely missed a person in a gorilla suit walking through the frame? That's attention blindness in action.
Finding Your Productivity Sweet Spot
So, what can we do? The answer lies in finding a middle ground – a way to harness focus without becoming oblivious to the world around you. Here are some strategies to consider:
Cluster tasking: Group similar activities together. Maybe you batch all your email responses in the morning, leaving your creative energy for writing in the afternoon. (This is about the only time where the batching technique comes in handy, and prepping the weekly meals, I suppose.)
Pomodoro technique: Work in focused 25-minute sprints, followed by short breaks. It's like interval training for your brain.
Scheduled "white space": Build buffer time into your day for unexpected tasks or creative breathers. In corporate arena it’s labelled as "inefficiency," but it's actually saving your sanity.
Mindful monotasking: When you do focus on a single task, set a timer and check in with yourself periodically. Are you still on track? Has anything urgent come up that needs your attention?
Strategic multitasking: Some tasks can be combined effectively. Listening to podcasts while commuting, cleaning, or cooking? That's multitasking gold. Trying to write your newsletter while on a Zoom call? Recipe for disaster.
There’s no escape.
Even when you make that glorious leap to full-time Substack writing, you won't escape the multitasking entirely. You'll be juggling writing, editing, publicity, engagement, and possibly many other tasks I can’t think of right now.
The key is to be intentional about how you divide your attention. Recognize when you need deep focus and when you can afford to let your attention wander. Build systems that work for your brain, not against it.
So, take a deep breath. Close those 37 open browser tabs. And start writing.
This really has got me thinking a lot about ‘multi-tasking’. I attempt it a lot but I see so much sense in what you say. Is there anything we can do at the same time? I don’t know anymore 😂
What an enjoyable read! I wholeheartedly agree that multi-tasking is essentially task-switching, and it's nearly impossible to focus effectively on multiple tasks at once.