Reject multitasking

Do one thing at a time — multitasking is switching, and switching is costly.

Why it works

What feels like multitasking is actually rapid switching between tasks, and each switch carries a cost in time and accuracy plus residual attention left on the prior task. Committing to one task at a time eliminates those switching costs, so the same hours produce higher-quality output than they would split across several things at once.

How to do it

1. Work on a single task until a natural stopping point before moving to the next.
2. Close other tabs, apps, and inputs that invite switching.
3. When the urge to switch arises, note the new item for later rather than acting on it.

Evidence

Well supported by task-switching research documenting switch costs in time and error rates, and by attention-residue findings showing performance drops when attention lingers on a prior task. Rubinstein, Meyer, and Evans measured the time cost of the executive control needed to reconfigure for each switch, and Monsell’s review confirms task-switching penalties as a robust, replicated effect. (rct)

Highly automatic tasks can be combined without much cost; the penalty applies to tasks that both demand attention.

Sources

• Leroy (2009), attention residue degrades performance on the next task, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
• Leroy, S. (2009). Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109(2), 168–181.
• Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763–797.
• Monsell, S. (2003). Task switching. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(3), 134–140.

Common mistake

Believing you are personally good at multitasking, when the switching cost applies regardless of how productive the juggling feels.