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title: One Tab Theory Increases Productivity By An Order Of Magnitude
date: 2025-09-29T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, there was this weird thing I noticed the other day. I’m staring at my computer screen, the afternoon sun casting stripes through the blinds, and I’m thinking, why do I have 27 tabs open? I can’t even see the icons anymore, just a mess of little gray blobs. I’m supposed to be doing… something, but somehow I’m reading about the dietary habits of capybaras? I don’t even remember how I got there. It’s like virtual quicksand.
Anyway, someone—I think it was a podcast, or maybe an article?—mentioned this idea called the "One Tab Theory." Apparently, you can increase productivity by an order of magnitude. Which is a lot, right? Assuming that’s like ten times as productive? Even though I’m not sure how they measure that. But the premise is you open one tab at a time. Sounds simple—too simple? Maybe that’s why I’m skeptical. Could it really be that straightforward? But also, isn’t there some sort of weird satisfaction in having everything at your fingertips? Even if you never actually look at it?
I’ve tried it, sort of. I mean, I closed a few tabs, thinking it’d clear my head or something. Kind of like when I delete Instagram to reduce “screen time” but then just end up redownloading it a week later. It’s like I really want to know what people are doing with their dogs, you know? So far, the one-tab thing isn’t sticking much. I keep forgetting I’m supposed to be trying it. Does forgetting mean I'm too far gone into the digital abyss, or just that my brain doesn’t think it's important enough to change? I don’t know.
But there’s this study—I think Stanford?—that talks about multitasking and how it’s basically a big lie our brain tells us. It’s supposed to be like, each task switch reduces your efficiency by… I don’t remember exactly, but it was a lot. Like your brain gets tired of jumping around or something. Maybe that’s why I feel so drained after a day of bouncing between 20 different things and never actually finishing one? But then again, sometimes I feel like I need that chaos to feel alive. Like, too much focus feels weirdly constricting.
And then there’s the whole thing about how having too many choices is supposed to be paralyzing. That paradox of choice thing. I remember reading about it in an article, or maybe it was a TED Talk. Anyway, the idea is that more choices lead to more anxiety. Which I guess makes sense. But does reducing my tab count really make my life less stressful? Or am I just shuffling stress around?
I think, if I’m honest, part of me clings to all those tabs because it feels like holding onto possibilities. Like, each one is a path I might take—later, eventually, tomorrow. Even though I know deep inside that I’m probably never going to revisit half of them.
So, does One Tab Theory really work? I don’t know. It seems nice in theory, kind of like meditation, or finally sticking to a workout routine. Does anyone actually do it and see results, or is it just one of those things that sounds nice but is hard to prove? Maybe I’ll try it again, but then again, I’ve said that about a lot of things—flossing daily, not hitting snooze, actually using that yoga mat collecting dust in the corner.
And here I am, with another tab open to write this. So, in and out of the distraction loop I go. Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?