F·07
Focus & Deep Work
Multitasking Is Just Switching
You never do two things at once. You alternate, and every alternation is paid for.
- Evidence
- proven
- Topic
- Focus
- Things to do
- 3
- Read
- 1 min
provenHow strong is the evidence?
Tested again and again, by different people, and it keeps coming out the same. You can lean on this.
- Rubinstein, Meyer & Evans, JEP: Human Perception & Performance, 2001 — up to 40% of productive time lost
- Mark, Gudith & Klocke, 2008 — 23 minutes 15 seconds to return to an interrupted task
Why it works
Each switch reloads a different set of rules into working memory. The reload is invisible from the inside, which is why people believe they are good at it — and the people most confident about it test worst.
What to do about it
- Count switches, not hours. A three-hour block with nine switches is not three hours of work.
- Put the second task physically out of reach rather than resolving to ignore it.
- Do one kind of work per block — writing, or calls, or numbers. Mixing kinds costs more than mixing topics.
Where people go wrong
Rating your own multitasking ability. Self-described good multitaskers perform worse on every measure, including the ones they rate themselves highest on.
Read next
- Attention ResiduePart of your attention stays on the previous task — unless you left it with a written plan for resuming.solid
- Turn Toward the Small BidsCouples who stayed together turned toward each other's small bids for attention 86% of the time. Those who split, 33%.solid
- The Phone Doesn't Have to BuzzA smartphone within reach reduces available working memory even when it is face-down, silent and switched off.solid
- Give the Peak to the Hard ThingAnalytic performance peaks in the first hours after waking for most people; protect that window, and spend the trough on admin.solid