XP TRACKERHow to stop multitasking
To stop multitasking, keep one task in front of you and give everything else a set time. Close extra tabs, write stray thoughts on a parking list, and check messages in batches. Your brain switches between tasks rather than doing them at once, and each switch costs you time and attention.
Short answer: to stop multitasking, work on one task at a time and give everything else a slot. Keep only the current task open on your screen, put your phone out of reach, write stray thoughts on a parking list, and check messages at set times instead of as they arrive. Start with one 25-minute single-task block a day and build from there.
For anything that takes thought, "multitasking" means switching. You write two lines of a report, glance at chat, reply, go back to the report, check your phone, and lose the thread. Each switch feels like it takes no time, but you pay a small cost every time: refinding your place, reloading what you were thinking, and a slower, sloppier first minute back.
Start with your setup. When only one task is in front of you, you switch less, and you need less willpower to stay put.
How to single-task: seven habits
- One task on the screenClose every window and tab you don't need for the current task. Full-screen the one you do need.
- Phone out of reachAnother room, a drawer or a bag. If it's within reach, you'll pick it up without deciding to.
- A parking listKeep paper next to you. When you remember something ("email Sam", "buy milk"), write it down and go back to the task. You'll deal with the list later.
- Messages at set timesCheck email and chat three or four times a day, such as 9:30, 12:00, 14:30 and 16:30. Turn off notifications in between.
- Timed blocksWork on one task for 25 to 50 minutes with a timer, then take a short break. The focus timer runs the rounds.
- Finish or note the stop pointBefore switching, finish the task or write one line on where you stopped and what's next. It makes coming back faster.
- Meetings: one thingIn a call, either take part or don't attend. Writing emails during a meeting means doing both badly.
Multitasking habits and their single-task swap
Small changes that cut the number of switches in a normal day.
| Multitasking habit | Single-task swap |
|---|---|
| Email open all day | Four 15-minute email checks |
| 20 browser tabs | Only the tabs for the current task; save the rest to a reading list |
| Phone on the desk | Phone in a bag across the room, checked at breaks |
| Texting while watching a show | Pause the show, reply, then press play |
| Chat replies during focus work | Status set to busy for 60 minutes, replies after |
| Studying with notifications on | Do Not Disturb and a 25-minute timer |
| Eating lunch at the desk while working | Fifteen minutes away from the screen |
Pick two swaps to try this week. The email change alone often cuts dozens of switches a day.
When multitasking is fine
You don't need to single-task everything. Pairing an automatic task with a thinking one usually works:
- Walking and talking. A phone call on a walk is a good use of both.
- Chores and audio. Laundry, dishes or cooking with a podcast or audiobook. Katherine Milkman, Julia Minson and Kevin Volpp (2014) used a version of this idea, "temptation bundling", with audiobooks people could only hear at the gym.
- Commuting and reading. On a train or bus, reading is the only task.
The trouble starts when both tasks need your thinking: writing and chatting, studying and texting, listening in a meeting and drafting an email.
Common mistakes
- Trying to single-task all day at once. Start with one focus block a day. Add a second once it feels normal.
- Keeping notifications on "just in case". Agree an emergency channel (a phone call) and silence the rest during focus time.
- Switching when stuck. When a task gets hard, the urge to switch spikes. Stay for two more minutes, or write down the problem before you move.
- Mixing tasks in one block. "Report and emails" in the same 25 minutes is two blocks.
What the research says
Joshua Rubinstein, David Meyer and Jeffrey Evans (2001) measured the cost of switching between tasks in lab experiments. People lost time with each switch, and the loss grew when the tasks were more complex or less familiar.
Sophie Leroy (2009) described attention residue: after you move from task A to task B, part of your attention stays with A, especially if A was left unfinished. That's why the stop-point note in step 6 helps.
Eyal Ophir, Clifford Nass and Anthony Wagner (2009) compared people who reported heavy media multitasking with light media multitaskers. The heavy group did worse on several attention and task-switching tests. The study found a link and can't show that multitasking caused the difference, so treat it as a reason to test single-tasking on yourself.
What to do today
Pick one task for a 25-minute block. Close every window except the one you need, put your phone in another room and put a sheet of paper beside you for stray thoughts. Set a timer and work until it rings. Afterwards, go through the parking list and check messages once.
In XP Tracker, Deep Focus is a daily quest built around one task with no distractions, timed from 15 minutes up to 50 as you level. The "No social media" add-on quest is an end-of-day check-in for days you stay off feeds. Each one earns XP and damages the boss you're fighting. See how it works.
Questions people ask
Is multitasking bad for you?
For tasks that need thought, switching back and forth usually makes each one slower and more error-prone than doing them one after another. It isn't harmful in a medical sense. Doing two easy, automatic things together, like walking and talking, works fine for most people.
Can anyone multitask well?
Most people can combine one automatic task with one thinking task, like folding laundry while listening to a podcast. Two tasks that both need your attention, like writing an email during a meeting, usually means switching quickly between them, and both suffer.
Why do I multitask so much?
Switching feels productive and gives small hits of novelty: a new message, a new tab, a new task. Open-plan offices, chat apps and phones make it easy. It also helps you escape a task that feels hard, so it can be a form of procrastination.
How do I stop multitasking at work?
Block time for one task with chat and email closed, answer messages at set times, and close every tab and window you don't need for the current task. Agree with your team which channel to use for real emergencies, so you don't need to watch everything.
Is listening to music while working multitasking?
Technically yes, but many people find instrumental music or steady background sound doesn't hurt their focus, and it may help with dull work. Lyrics tend to compete with reading and writing. Test it on yourself for a week.
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