# How Single Tasking Beats Multitasking and Restores Productivity
We live in an era where being busy has become synonymous with success. Open browser tabs, notifications from five different apps, a phone call while cooking dinner, and emails skimmed during meetings – all of this has somehow become the norm. Multitasking was celebrated for decades as a superpower of modern humans. Yet both science and everyday experience speak clearly: this doesn't work. And that is precisely why its counterpart is making an increasingly loud comeback – single tasking, the art of focusing on just one thing at a time.
This is not a passing trend or a nostalgic return to the past. It is a conscious response to an overloaded world that constantly distracts us.
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Why multitasking simply doesn't work
The human brain is not a multi-core computer. Although we have believed for generations that we can effectively work on multiple things at once, neuroscience has thoroughly debunked this myth. Research from Stanford University showed that people who regularly multitask are actually worse at filtering information, switching between tasks, and concentrating than those who focus on one thing at a time. Paradoxically, the more we try to do at once, the less we actually accomplish.
What happens in the brain during multitasking? It involves what is known as cognitive switching cost – every time we shift our attention from one task to another, the brain needs time to "retune." This transition takes only fractions of a second, but with repeated switching, these losses add up. Experts estimate that constantly jumping between tasks can reduce productivity by as much as 40%. And that is not even accounting for the quality of the resulting work, which almost always suffers when attention is fragmented.
Imagine Klára, a project manager from Prague, who starts every working day feeling she has far too much to get done. She is writing a message to a client, simultaneously responding on Slack, and monitoring incoming emails. After four hours of work, she feels exhausted, yet the results are surprisingly meagre. The client message is unfinished, she responded inaccurately on Slack, and she missed an important email. This scenario is not exceptional – it is the daily reality of millions of people.
Yet the solution is not complicated. It simply requires returning to something we once did naturally.
Single tasking as a conscious choice
Single tasking does not mean getting less done in a day. On the contrary. It means giving full attention to each activity until it is completed or deliberately set aside. The result is deeper focus, fewer mistakes, and paradoxically a greater amount of completed work. Writer and productivity expert Cal Newport developed this idea in his book Deep Work, where he describes the ability to focus without distraction as "the superpower of the 21st century." And he is right – precisely because fewer and fewer people master it, it is becoming rare and valuable.
Making the transition to single tasking is a conscious choice that requires a degree of courage. The courage to say no to constant availability, the courage to close tabs, the courage to leave your phone in your pocket. It is not about being less productive or less engaged – it is about being productive more intelligently.
The first step is often what is called time blocking – dividing the working day into blocks during which you focus on only one type of task. For example, mornings are reserved for creative work, afternoons for communication and meetings. This approach is used by many successful people, from entrepreneurs to artists. It not only helps manage energy more effectively, but also reduces decision fatigue – the brain does not have to constantly evaluate what to tackle next.
Another tool is the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in focused intervals – typically 25 minutes of work followed by a short break. This method is grounded in research on human concentration, and its advantage is that even a seemingly insurmountable task becomes manageable when you focus on it for a limited period of time. This is precisely the principle behind single tasking: not heroic concentration throughout the entire day, but conscious, full presence in the given moment.
Interestingly, single tasking has implications beyond the workplace as well. People who practise it describe how the quality of their personal lives has improved. Dinner with the family without a phone on the table. A walk during which they genuinely notice their surroundings. A conversation in which they truly listen. This conscious focus on the present moment is closely related to the principles of mindfulness – and it is no coincidence that both areas have attracted significant interest in recent years.
How to start – and why it's worth it
Getting started with single tasking requires no special equipment or extensive preparation. It does, however, require honesty with yourself and a willingness to change ingrained habits. And since habits change gradually, it makes sense to begin with small steps.
One of the most effective approaches is a digital detox on a miniature scale – for example, turning off notifications on your phone while working, or setting specific times for checking emails. Research from the University of California, Irvine found that after each interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes to return to a state of deep focus. That is a figure that should give everyone pause for thought.
Your physical environment can also help. A clean desk, a quiet space, or noise-cancelling headphones – all of these signal to the brain that it is time for focused work. Some people rely on rituals: a cup of tea before starting work, a brief meditation, or a few minutes of reading. These rituals function as psychological "triggers" that prepare the brain for a state of deep concentration.
When it comes to task lists, single tasking naturally leads to simplification. Rather than a long list of dozens of items, the recommendation is to select three to five of the most important tasks for the day and complete those before moving on to others. This method, sometimes referred to as MIT (Most Important Tasks), helps overcome procrastination and the sense of overwhelm that is paradoxically one of the reasons people turn to multitasking in the first place – as though doing many things at once could mask the inability to decide what is truly important.
It is worth noting that single tasking is not solely an individual matter. Organisations and companies that have consciously begun to reduce unnecessary meetings, email overload, and the constant availability of their employees have seen not only higher productivity, but also lower rates of burnout and greater employee satisfaction. A healthy workplace is not one where the most hours are worked, but one where work is done most meaningfully.
This shift is part of a broader trend that is also reflected in lifestyle choices outside of work. Interest in slow living, mindful consumption, sustainable habits, and a more natural daily rhythm is growing. People are realising that constant speed and switching between stimuli is not the path to a fulfilling life. Just as we choose quality food or natural cosmetics, we are beginning to make more conscious choices about how we spend our time and attention.
It is no coincidence that single tasking resonates particularly within communities interested in a sustainable and mindful way of life. Caring for oneself, for one's surroundings, and for the planet requires presence – the ability to be here and now, to devote oneself to what matters, and not to succumb to the pressure of constant performance and hurry.
Ultimately, single tasking is a very simple idea: do one thing, do it well, and then move on to the next. This simplicity is perhaps precisely what makes it so powerful. In an overcrowded world where everyone is competing for our attention, the ability to say "right now I am doing only this" is a small but fundamental form of freedom. And the freedom to focus – fully, consciously, without distraction – may be one of the most valuable things we can afford ourselves today.
