PRODUCTIVITY
5 Reasons Why Multitasking Is Slowing You Down
By Serene Hayes
Published on January 3, 2026
credits to: Cora Pursley / Dupe
Multitasking looks impressive on the surface. You’ve got multiple tabs open, messages coming in, and a mental to-do list running nonstop. It feels like you’re doing a lot, so surely you must be getting a lot done. Yet at the end of the day, you’re exhausted—and somehow still behind.
The truth is, multitasking often creates the illusion of productivity without the results. While it feels efficient in the moment, it quietly slows you down in ways you don’t always notice. Once you understand what’s really happening, it becomes much easier to work smarter instead of harder.
1. You Forget Important Things
Every time I multitask, I notice the same pattern. I read something, respond halfway, and then completely forget what I was doing moments later. I’ll open a message with full intention, get distracted by something else, and then stare at my screen wondering why I’m there.
That’s the problem. When your attention is split, details don’t stick. Important things slip by—not because you don’t care, but because your brain never had the chance to fully register them. Then comes the backtracking, the rereading, and the constant feeling that you’re missing something. Instead of moving forward, you end up mentally retracing your steps all day.
2. Multitasking Makes Everything Take Longer Than It Should
It feels like multitasking should save time. After all, you’re doing more than one thing, right? Yet somehow, everything takes longer.
I’ll sit down thinking a task will take twenty minutes, only to still be working on it an hour later. Each time I switch tasks, my brain needs a moment to catch up. Even if I don’t notice it consciously, that pause adds up. The constant stopping and starting quietly stretches simple tasks into exhausting ones.
By the end of the day, I’ve been busy nonstop, yet progress feels painfully slow. That’s when the frustration really hits.
3. You Feel Productive Because You’re Busy, Not Because You’re Effective
Multitasking gives you that rush of feeling productive. You’re answering messages, checking things off, and bouncing between tasks. It looks like momentum.
But when I actually stop and look at what I’ve completed, it’s usually not much. I’ve started a lot of things, touched a lot of things, but finished very few. Staying busy tricks your brain into thinking you’re winning, even when you’re mostly just maintaining motion.
That’s why multitasking feels good in the moment but disappointing afterward. The effort is there. The results aren’t.
4. Multitasking Lowers the Quality of Your Work
Whenever I multitask, the quality of my work quietly drops. I miss small details. I skim instead of read. I submit things knowing they could be better.
Even if no one calls it out, I know. And later, I usually have to go back and fix something I could’ve done right the first time. That extra cleanup ends up costing more time and energy than slowing down ever would have.
Doing things halfway doesn’t save effort—it just postpones it.
5. You End the Day Drained and Still Behind
This might be the worst part.
After a full day of multitasking, I feel exhausted. My brain feels overstimulated, my focus feels shot, and I still feel behind. Despite being “on” all day, important things remain unfinished.
That combination—being tired and unsatisfied—is brutal. It makes the next day harder because you’re starting already depleted. Instead of building momentum, multitasking slowly wears you down.
Why Focusing on One Thing Changes Everything
On the days I focus on one task at a time, everything feels different. I move faster without rushing. I make fewer mistakes. Most importantly, I actually finish what I start.
There’s a sense of calm that comes with giving your full attention to one thing. Your brain isn’t constantly switching gears, and your energy lasts longer. Progress becomes visible, and that alone makes work feel lighter.
