---
title: Single-Tasking Beats Multitasking By 40%
date: 2025-09-12T04:05:34.313617
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
Lying on my couch, scrolling through Instagram again. You know how it goes. Just tapping along, not really looking for anything, just... existing? Anyway, I was thinking about how I'm always trying to do a million things at once—like, check emails, talk to people on WhatsApp, and scroll social media all at the same time. You would think I'd have it down by now, but nah, it's just endless chaos.
So, then I remember reading something, somewhere, about how multitasking is kind of a myth. Or maybe it was someone telling me multitasking is actually, like, less efficient. The whole idea is that doing things one at a time is, like, 40% faster? Could be 30%, I don't know, but it's significant. The word "sequential" popped into my head. Feels a bit like a word that'd come up in a fancy study with lab coats and clipboards.
Anyway, I decide to try it—just focusing on one thing at a time. Which, honestly, is harder than it sounds. My mind's like a ping-pong ball sometimes... especially when I’m supposed to be working. I think they call it "task switching costs" or something. Every time I switch from one app to another, or from one task to another, it's like my brain does this weird reboot thing. I think they actually timed it... shows how much time you waste just getting back into the flow of one thing after jumping around? Sounds about right. But are these studies really what's happening in my brain? Who knows.
So, I tried single-tasking at the gym. Just focusing on the workout, not thinking about my unread emails or what I'm having for dinner. Just lifting weights, one at a time. Except, you know, there's still the temptation to check my phone in between sets. Is it really realistic to single-task in a world that's so... cluttered? It’s like trying to drink from a firehose sometimes.
I guess my point is, maybe there's something in this single-tasking idea. Or not? I deleted some apps once to see if that helped, but just ended up re-downloading them. Anyway, someone said attention is like a spotlight, and you can only shine it on one place at a time. Makes sense, I guess? But then again, maybe I'd just shine it on the wrong thing anyway.
Trying to figure this all out while lying on my couch, not really reaching any grand conclusion. Just here, aware that they say single-tasking is faster. But faster isn't always better, right? I don't know. Maybe I'll figure it out tomorrow, or maybe I'll just keep switching from Instagram to work emails and back again. Or maybe not.