Is multitasking always bad?

Multitasking isn't always bad: it works when one of the two tasks is automatic, such as walking while you listen to something. It fails when both need attention, such as writing while following a meeting, because your mind alternates between them and loses time and accuracy with every switch.

Why do I get more tired when I do several things at once?

Doing several things at once is more tiring because every switch forces you to recover the context of the task: where you were, what was left and what you'd decided. That effort is repeated many times a day and goes unseen, so fatigue sets in before you notice any progress.

How do I stop checking my email while I work?

To stop checking your email while you work, close the app during each task block, switch off its notifications and set two or three times a day to check it. If you think of something you need to reply to, jot it down on a separate sheet and carry on with what you were doing.

Does listening to music while I work count as multitasking?

Whether listening to music while you work counts as multitasking depends on the person and the task. Instrumental music tends to be less disruptive for repetitive tasks; music with lyrics competes with writing or reading, which also rely on language. Try one week with music and one without, and compare how much you finish.

Published on 6 November 20265 min readMadrugo team

Multitasking: a table of what to combine and a 5-step method

Email Calendar and tasks Productivity

The short answer: multitasking is almost never doing two things at once. It's jumping from one to the other, and every jump forces you to remember where you were, what was left and what you'd decided. You can avoid it by grouping similar tasks, closing anything that sends alerts and leaving yourself a note before you switch. Only combine tasks if one of them is automatic.

Why multitasking costs more than it seems

Two tasks that both need your attention aren't done in parallel. You alternate between them, and every switch has a start-up cost. When you go back to a report after answering an email, you have to pick up the thread again: which paragraph you were writing, which figure was missing, which idea you wanted to add. That time doesn't show up in any diary, but you pay it every time you switch.

The cost isn't only time. Traces of the previous task linger in your head, so the new one starts with less attention to spare. That's why a morning full of short jumps leaves you feeling you've worked hard but got little done. And the mistakes creep into the details: an attachment that never gets sent, a figure pasted into the cell next door, the wrong time on an appointment.

The trap is that each switch seems free because it only takes a moment. Checking your email isn't the expensive part; coming back from it is.

Which tasks you can combine and which you can't: table

The rule is simple: two tasks can only coexist if, at most, one of them needs conscious attention.

Combination	Does it work?	Reason	What to do instead
Walking and listening to a podcast	Yes	Walking is automatic	Nothing to change
Folding laundry and a personal call	Yes	One of the two needs no thought	Nothing to change
A meeting and answering emails	No	Both demand language and attention	Note down the emails and reply afterwards
Writing a report with chat open	No	Every alert breaks your train of thought	Close the chat for the length of the block
Driving and a call involving decisions	No	The conversation takes attention away from the road	Postpone the call or pull over
Instrumental music and a repetitive task	It depends	It helps some people and distracts others	Try it for a week and compare

If a combination sits in the «No» column and you do it every day, that's your first change.

A 5-step method for working on one task at a time

The method is about cutting down the switches and making the unavoidable ones cheaper.

Group similar things together: emails together, calls together, admin together. Switching within the same type of task costs less than jumping between different types.
Choose one task and give it a visible end point: «finish the draft of the second section», not «work on the report». A clear end point tells you when you can switch without leaving anything half done.
Close anything that sends alerts: tabs you don't need, chat and phone notifications for as long as the block lasts.
Keep a parking sheet to hand: when something else pops into your head, jot it down in one line and carry on. You can look at it once you've finished.
Leave a note before you switch: if you have to stop, write down the specific next step («still need to check the budget on page three»). Getting back into it will be far easier.

If the jumps are caused by other people, that's a different problem with its own rules: see how to curb interruptions from your team.

4 signs that multitasking is costing you

The clearest sign is finishing the morning with several tasks started and none finished. The other three:

You open your email without having decided why: you go in out of habit and come out with yet another task.
You reread what you've written to work out where you were: that's the cost of coming back, made visible.
You make small mistakes you don't make when you slow down: misspelt names, the wrong files, mixed-up times.

If you recognise two of them, it's worth applying the method for a week and comparing how many tasks you finish.

Phone and computer settings that reduce task switching

On an iPhone, Focus modes are set up in Settings → Focus, and each app's notifications in Settings → Notifications. Create a mode for your deep-work hours that only lets through calls from specific people, and switch off alerts from apps that never need to interrupt you.

On your computer, the most effective step is to close your email app and only open it at set times of day. If opening it swallows your whole morning, use a routine to clear your email inbox within a fixed time.

Another source of jumps is hopping from app to app to see what's next: email, calendar, to-do list. Madrugo brings email, calendar and tasks together on a single screen and prepares a summary of your day, so one check replaces several and you get back to what you were doing sooner.

Frequently asked questions

Is multitasking always bad?: Multitasking isn't always bad: it works when one of the two tasks is automatic, such as walking while you listen to something. It fails when both need attention, such as writing while following a meeting, because your mind alternates between them and loses time and accuracy with every switch.
Why do I get more tired when I do several things at once?: Doing several things at once is more tiring because every switch forces you to recover the context of the task: where you were, what was left and what you'd decided. That effort is repeated many times a day and goes unseen, so fatigue sets in before you notice any progress.
How do I stop checking my email while I work?: To stop checking your email while you work, close the app during each task block, switch off its notifications and set two or three times a day to check it. If you think of something you need to reply to, jot it down on a separate sheet and carry on with what you were doing.
Does listening to music while I work count as multitasking?: Whether listening to music while you work counts as multitasking depends on the person and the task. Instrumental music tends to be less disruptive for repetitive tasks; music with lyrics competes with writing or reading, which also rely on language. Try one week with music and one without, and compare how much you finish.