Multitasking mayhem - like most of us, I’m quite guilty of it too. When I sit down to tackle a big task I consistently find myself responding to an email or Slack chat, remembering to order more dog food, checking my to-do list, or worse, procrasti-cleaning my WFH space (yet again).

There has to be a better way!

So, I did a bit of a deep dive into the research. What I found was quite compelling!

What happens to us when we multitask?

Like all of us, when I try to multitask I am actually costing myself about 40% of productive time. That’s right, research highlights this whopping productivity shortfall occurs when we multitask. But there’s more…

• Inefficiency: It takes longer to complete tasks.

• Errors: More mistakes are made and the error rate increases.

• Stress: Strain and pressure elevate stress when trying to handle and switch between multiple tasks.

• Exhaustion: Multitasking is more cognitively and emotionally exhausting and requires more of our precious energy.

• Motivation: Commitment to the goal at hand diminishes.

These consequences are due to the fact that during multitasking our brains are rapidly switching between tasks. This process uses glucose at an accelerated rate in the prefrontal cortex, the area of our brain responsible for how we direct our attention to achieving our goals.

So why, given all these adverse consequences, do we persist with incessant task switching?

Our prefrontal cortex craves newness. It is distractible like a kid in a candy store, releasing endogenous opioids* whenever we switch to that new and oh-so-shiny task. And just like that kid in the candy store, our brains are soaking up the empty calories of task switching, leading us to want more and more to release more dopamine. The more we task switch the more we want to task switch. This unfortunate cycle leads to drops in working memory and fluid intelligence. That’s right, we are dumber when we multitask! Here’s the kicker, those who think they are good at multitasking have been shown to perform the worst when actively task-switching!

#1ThingWell

There is hope, though! The ability to sustain focused attention on one task, a glorious skill, elsewhere termed monotasking or unitasking, is about doing #1thingwell at a time. It’s the #1thingwell mission we encourage everyone to learn and apply to overcome multitasking and switching costs.

The concept may be as simple as it sounds, but in our tech-centred, ‘hustle’ glorified world it may seem impossible to achieve. I can hear it now. The competing priorities. Whilst one team needs this, the other team needs that. Plus, I have about 20 unseen reels from my husband I could watch on Insta. How on earth do I take my time back and focus in on just one thing?

Quick tips to help you enhance your productivity and avoid multitasking

• Low-tech lists

  To combat my attention spiraling out of control I go low-tech. A pen and pad of paper. Once I write it down, I know it's somewhere, and I can and will come back to it later, I don’t have to hold it in my mind or get distracted by opening another tab.

• Turn off notifications & hit focus mode!

  Do not disturb is a great feature on your phone, as you can allow certain calls to come through (think your kiddo’s school) but block the rest. This goes for Teams, Slack, emails, and the rest!

• Schedule timeblocks for email

  When it comes to emails, try creating an email-checking schedule. This way you know you have a set time devoted to checking and responding to emails and you are less likely to let that ever-persistent thought worm its way back into your head.

• Set boundaries

  If you are working in the office, start setting your boundaries, and have a physical signifier that you are focused in. If you have a door, close it. If you are in an open plan, pop those headphones in and ask a simple question when someone comes by. “Is this urgent, or can we chat a bit later?” If it can wait, have them send you a meeting invite, that way you both know you will be able to devote your undivided attention to the new task.

• Protect your time, attention and energy (AKA block out your calendar)

  Block out your calendar so you can focus in during your most productive times of the day and others avoid scheduling calls during that time.

• Get distance

  Walk away. Sometimes you need a bit of space to clear your head. Step away from the computer, take a walk, say hi to your pet, just give yourself some space for 10-15 minutes, and then come back and refocus.

• Self-Compassion

  Most importantly, have some compassion, notice your distractions, and gently remind yourself to postpone that task for the moment.

Above all, make choices about how and why you are prioritising tasks as meaningful to you as you can. This is important for your motivation and ability to stick through those harder or more boring to-dos!

If you’re a leader, you can help your team monotask by making sure that your team knows the priorities of the tasks at hand. (Make sure they are agreed-upon priorities!) Create and honour the blocks of time your team needs to set aside to focus solely on that one prioritised task.

How to start monotasking

Start small! There are many other ways to create the space needed to successfully monotask. You don’t need to focus for an entire workday. Successfully monotasking for 20 minutes is an achievement I will well and truly celebrate! Just like with physical muscles – you don’t want to start with an Olympic weight training program – you work your way up to it over time.

Try starting with one or two of the suggestions above and at the end of the week reflect on what difference it made in your working style, your productivity, and your overall wellbeing. You may be surprised. That overwhelming feeling you’ve been dealing with every time you sit at your desk might just start feeling a bit more manageable.

The benefits of implementing monotasking into your week are full and varied. My favourite is the sense of achievement I feel from tackling something important, and tackling it well. Even if one monotasking session isn’t enough to cross off that big task, I know I’ve got solid stepping stones in place. This built-in self-efficacy, or perception of your own capabilities, is a great motivator and a key aspect of a growth mindset.

And the icing on the cake, monotasking could lead to a flow state**, increasing motivation, performance, sense of achievement, and overall wellbeing.

If you’d like to learn more about how to do #1thingwell Benny Button provides training and resources to build wellbeing and high performance. Our Mindful Action and Monotasking workshops are a great way to strengthen your capability in mastering your attention, focus, thoughts, and emotions to allow you to conquer that attention spiral and compassionately train your monotasking muscle. If you would like to learn more reach out to us at hello@bennybutton.com.

*The endogenous opioid system is responsible for the body’s regulation of motivation, addiction, stress response, reward, pain, emotion, and autonomic control.

** Flow state is a beautiful place where we get lost in the task at hand and find ourselves ‘in the zone.’