The Myth of Multitasking: Why Focus Beats Busyness for True Wellness

The Myth of Multitasking: Why Doing More Makes Us Less

We live in an age where busyness has become a badge of honor.

People juggle Zoom calls while answering emails, eat meals while scrolling phones, and even walk with their children while mentally drafting presentations.

We call it multitasking.

But science—and life—show us a hard truth: the brain cannot truly multitask.

It can only switch rapidly between tasks, burning energy each time, leaving us with half-finished thoughts and a false sense of productivity.

A Story from My Clinic

Years ago, a young manager came to me.

He was always “on the go”—leading meetings, replying to clients, checking reports, eating at his desk.

“I feel like I’m working 16 hours a day, doctor,” he said.

“But nothing moves forward.”

His blood sugars were creeping up, his sleep was broken, and his mind was constantly restless.

When I asked him to describe his work, he said:

“I do everything, all the time, together.”

That was the problem.

In trying to do everything, he was doing nothing fully.

The Science Behind the Myth

Neuroscientists call this task-switching cost.

Each time you shift from one task to another—say, from reading a report to replying to a WhatsApp message—your brain loses milliseconds in resetting.

That doesn’t sound like much.

But add up hundreds of switches in a day, and you lose hours of deep focus.

A study from Stanford showed that heavy multitaskers actually perform worse on memory and focus tasks than those who single-task.

Another research paper found multitasking raises cortisol (the stress hormone), leading to fatigue and anxiety.

The American Psychological Association reports productivity can drop by 40% with constant task-switching.

So much for being “efficient.”

Why We Still Do It

The answer lies in dopamine.

Every time we switch tasks—like checking a new notification—we get a tiny reward.

A like, a reply, a ping.

It makes us feel important, connected, busy.

But just like sugar highs, these bursts leave us drained, not nourished.

The Deeper Cost

Multitasking doesn’t just drain our minds.

It steals from the emotional and social pillars of wellness too:

Parents half-listening to their children.

Partners nodding at dinner while scrolling phones.

Workers attending meetings without really “being there.”

In the process of doing everything, we miss the only thing that matters: presence.

A Holistic Way Forward

Wellness is not about doing more—it’s about doing right.

Unitasking:

Give one task your full presence. Even 30 minutes of focused work achieves more than 3 hours of distracted effort.

Digital hygiene:

Silence unnecessary notifications. Your brain is not a call center.

Mindful transitions:

Before moving from one task to another, pause. Take a breath. Reset.

Sacred spaces:

Mealtimes, walks, and family conversations deserve undivided attention.

When you give yourself to one task, one person, one moment—you reclaim your energy, your efficiency, and your humanity..

The Final Thought

Multitasking is not a superpower. It is a super-drain.

The real strength lies in focus, presence, and depth.

So next time you catch yourself juggling ten things, remember:

You are not a machine.

You are a human being.

And life, like wellness, happens one mindful moment at a time.

✨ Srirangavn Wellness Perspective:

Multitasking makes us poor in the one wealth that matters most—attention.

And attention, when invested wisely, creates health, relationships, and a life of meaning.