Masterful Mindsets

“To do two things at once is to do neither.” ~ Publilius Syrus

A couple of weeks ago, when I shared my tips for organizing your day for maximum efficiency, I made a statement that has caused a little bit of a stir over the years:

Multitasking doesn't work.

Now, before those of you who consider yourselves master multitaskers start debating with me, hear me out. You may actually be very good at juggling multiple things at once. I used to think I was too! But being good at something doesn't necessarily mean it's the most effective way to work.

What most of us call multitasking is actually task switching. When two activities require our conscious attention, our brains aren't truly focusing on both at the same time. Instead, we're rapidly shifting our attention back and forth between them.

And every one of those little switches has a cost.

The Hidden Cost of Switching Your Attention

Think about how often this happens during a normal day. You're working on an important project whe...