Episode 281
Multitasking vs. Single-Tasking: A Simple Way to Feel Less Scattered
Multitasking sounds like a superpower, but most of the time it’s really task switching—jumping back and forth so fast we don’t notice the cost. In this episode, we talk about the difference between true multitasking and rapid switching, and why switching can make you less effective, less productive, and less present.
We also share a few real-life examples (knitting while watching TV, exercising with an audiobook, checking email mid-writing) and a simple “Good Enough” experiment: using tiny waiting moments—like a login screen—as a cue to take a few breaths and come back to what you’re doing.
What We Talk About
- 01:28 — When multitasking can work: knitting while watching TV (and why writing postcards while watching is different).
- 03:33 — A combo that often works: physical tasks (folding laundry, exercising) while listening to an audiobook (or podcast!).
- 04:29 — Why switching tasks can make you less productive than single-tasking.
- 05:47 — The “attention test”: if both tasks need brain power (like sorting and chatting), something gets missed.
- 06:45 — Phone + conversation: noticing how it affects connection, and small ways to be more present with people.
- 10:22 — The “lag reflex”: switching away during a short wait (like logging into a bank) and getting pulled into email or Facebook.
- 11:08 — A simple strategy: practice staying with a few seconds of discomfort so you can finish the task.
- 13:01 — Meditation explained in plain terms: not “no thoughts,” but returning to your focus.
- 14:42 — Anchoring mindfulness to your desk chair: building calm where you actually work.
- 15:44 — Shannon shares how ADHD can amplify distraction and unfinished tasks (especially off meds).
- 17:13 — Reframing single-tasking as self-care: more calm, more “done,” and less stress.
Key Takeaways
- Most multitasking is really task switching: If you’re bouncing between email, a document, and social media, you’re not doing three things at once—you’re switching. And switching often makes everything take longer.
- Some pairings can be “good enough” multitasking: If one task is automatic or physical (like knitting, folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, brushing your teeth), it may pair well with listening.
- If both tasks require attention, you’ll feel scattered: Sorting, writing, and meaningful conversations all need focus. Trying to stack them usually means you’re only half there.
- Use waiting moments as a mindfulness cue: Instead of opening Facebook during a 10-second pause, try three slow breaths or counting breaths until the page loads.
- Single-tasking is self-care (and it feels better): Finishing one thing at a time can lower stress and give you that satisfying sense of completion.
The Bottom Line
Multitasking promises efficiency, but for most of us it’s really rapid, less efficient task switching—and it can leave you feeling scattered and less present. A “Good Enough” approach is choosing one thing at a time more often, and using tiny pauses to return to your focus.
Listener Action: Choose one “waiting moment” this week (like logging into a website). Instead of switching to email or social media, take 3 slow breaths and gently bring your attention back to the task in front of you.
- YouTube link - Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)
Episode 26: Multitasking If multitasking is your default setting (and it sometimes works… until it doesn’t), this is our original episode on the subject. We talk about why multitasking feels productive, when it can actually be fine, and when it’s really just task switching that leaves you more frazzled than finished.
Episode 27: The Thrill of Done You know that satisfying feeling when you finish something and it stops taking up space in your brain? This episode is all about that. We share simple ways to make “done” easier to reach—especially if perfectionism tends to move the finish line.
Episode 84: Overthinking The multitasking may be coming from inside your brain! If your brain likes to keep running the same thought loop, you’re not alone. We talk about how overthinking sneaks in (especially with perfectionist tendencies), and how to step out of the spin cycle and into the next small, doable action.
Connect With Us
We’d love to hear what multitasking looks like in your real life—and what happens when you try single-tasking instead. Leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough.
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Transcript
There are very few times when I think it makes sense to truly multitask. And there are very few situations where you can truly multitask by doing two things at once. Normally it's rapid switching between tasks. Yeah.
Hey there. Welcome to getting to Good Enough. I'm Shannon Wilkinson.
Janine Adams:And I'm Janine Adams. We're here for practical and fun conversations about living with more ease and way less stress.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yep. We're all about embracing progress over perfection. So grab a tasty beverage and let's get started. Hey, Janine.
Janine Adams:Hey, Shannon. How you doing?
Shannon Wilkinson:I'm doing all right. How are you?
Janine Adams:Doing all right too. Anticipating a winter storm that will allow me to be inside and stay cozy all weekend without guilt.
Shannon Wilkinson:That is not where I thought you were going with that.
Janine Adams:Where did you think I was going?
Shannon Wilkinson:Expressing some sort of concern about the winter storm. Not that you were looking forward to it because you know what you'll gain.
Janine Adams:Yeah. Right. Okay. I hope others farewell in the storm. Yeah. Yeah.
Shannon Wilkinson:I assume that you won't be doing any multitasking while you're enjoying your weekend.
Janine Adams:No, because I'll have so much time that I won't feel like I have to. It's actually not true. I will probably watch TV and knit or write postcards to voters at the.
Shannon Wilkinson:Same time, which is, interestingly, I feel a reasonable time to multitask. There are very few times when I think it sort of makes sense to truly multitask.
And there are very few situations where you can truly multitask by doing two things at once. I mean, normally it's rapid switching between tasks.
Janine Adams:Yeah.
And I think with the knitting, I've been a knitter for so long that I do feel I'm successfully actually multitasking because I can knit without looking at the. At my hands and. But with the postcards to voters, I think I am actually switching and I am. I have to. If I can't watch something that.
To really pay attention to and expect to get anything out of it. So I have to be careful when I'm watching. Yeah, yeah. So. But knitting I can. Yeah, yeah.
Shannon Wilkinson:I took a knitting class years ago. Which is what prompted you to get back into knitting, I believe.
Janine Adams: think so. Yeah. Back in like: Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah. And my teacher said that she knit. Knitted at the movies.
Janine Adams:Oh, did she bring. People will take little headlights to do that. Or there's lit. Lit knitting needles now they're light.
Shannon Wilkinson:No, she didn't need them. Cuz she could watch a movie and just knit.
Janine Adams:Yeah, yeah.
Shannon Wilkinson:And I mean I thought that was an amazing skill. But also I don't want to listen to click, click, click.
Janine Adams:Well, I feel like it's not always. Maybe it depends on the needles, but I don't feel like I'm a noisy knitter. I wouldn't take my knitting to the theater, though.
But yes, multitasking is hard to avoid. So I can't promise I won't be doing any. Yeah.
Shannon Wilkinson:Like we were saying, that is one of the situations where it can work. I think another one is when you're doing like a physical thing and listening to something like folding laundry, exercising.
Janine Adams:Exactly what I was gonna say. Those two things. Yeah. I can keep my book going and know what's happening while I fold laundry or exercise.
Shannon Wilkinson:Right. And. And I find that that actually sort of helps me pay attention better if I'm doing something physically. Like I don't sit and listen to a book.
I listen to my audiobooks when I'm doing other things that don't require me to think.
Janine Adams:Right. Emptying the dishwasher, brushing your teeth, that sort of thing. I now listen rather than read with my eyes while I brush my teeth.
Shannon Wilkinson:While those are the few situations where I think true multitasking can work. Most of the time when we're talking about multitasking, we are doing that rapid switching, and it's usually not very efficient.
I think you're less productive trying to do that than if you're really monotasking or single tasking.
Janine Adams:Right. Less productive. Less effective, potentially. Because I think not only less efficient, but less effective.
What are some of the things that people commonly multitask on, would you say? Just wanna make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Shannon Wilkinson:I think when people say that they're multitasking, they're having a conversation with someone and processing email or. I'm trying to think of other situations where someone might say that they're multitasking.
I feel like it's something that people say a lot, but because I'm so aligned now with that, there's. There's very little true multitasking. I can't even think of what it is.
Janine Adams:Yeah, I mean, I feel like when we're organizing, when my organizers are on the job, we're often start out by sorting. And I think if we are chatting at the same time, which I don't think we are. I don't. We don't. I don't think we do that.
Not on the job much anymore, but I don't think that happens. But if you're chatting, you're either not paying attention to the conversation or you're not paying attention to the sorting.
It's because it requires. Unlike folding laundry, sorting requires brain power. Right, Right. So maybe that's where.
If you're doing two things that require attention, you can't pay attention to two things at once, really.
Shannon Wilkinson:Right.
Janine Adams:It seems simple when I think of it that way, but, I mean, I don't know how many conversations I've had with my husband while I'm looking at my phone, you know? Yeah. Screw you. It's not cool and not effective and not efficient. Right, Right.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah, I. I do that too. And I have made a concerted effort to not do that.
Janine Adams:And you catch yourself.
Shannon Wilkinson:And I try not to. When I'm chatting with people, I have my phone at least face down. Yeah. So I'm not tempted to look at it while I'm having a conversation.
And I try to not talk to someone when they are on their phone or act as if they're in the middle of something and, you know, ask if I can interrupt them for a moment.
Janine Adams:But you don't assume they're gonna be able to turn their attention to you?
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah, I do that because I think we're just so used to doing things with people looking at their phones, and I'm trying to not do that. So I'm kind. I'm trying to kind of cue the other person that I recognize. You're doing something on your phone.
Are you able to stop what you're doing so we can have a conversation or I can ask you a question or something?
Janine Adams:Yeah. That's polite. And it's like being a good conversational partner. Right. I mean, Yeah. I walk up on Barry on his.
He's on his computer all the time with his back to the door, and I'll walk into the room and expect him to stop what he's doing and turn around and talk to me. I'm usually silent, wait for him to stop, but I expect him to stop. Which, now that I'm thinking, now we're having this conversation, is pretty rude.
I need to ask him what would be more polite, because he's pretty nice about it. I mean, I will say he does stop. He's a retiree. Right.
So it's not like I'm interrupting his work, but still I'm interrupting whatever he's doing to enjoy. To enjoy his day.
Shannon Wilkinson:Right?
Janine Adams:Yeah. Yeah. But I will say he does typically stop and not just keep doing the puzzle, for example, and talk to me until I leave.
And it's clear that I should leave as soon as possible so you can get back on.
Shannon Wilkinson:You're such a good reader of body language.
Janine Adams:I don't know about that. Yeah, interesting. So I find when I'm working at my desk, I will be doing something that requires me to go switch. Like I'm at.
Let's say I'm in a Pages document and I gotta go check something in my email. And then I get totally caught up with what else is in the email. And then I'm like, wait, what was I doing? And then I go back. Back to the pages.
Yeah, it will. That cycle will repeat. Or I'll go to the browser and Facebook will be there and that's it. Like, oh, I can't. It's.
So I'm completely distractible, which is different, I know, from multitasking. But I know that sometimes I know what it is. I'll like, try to log into my bank and it will take a 10 seconds.
So then I move away from it because I'm not going to sit there for 10 seconds and look at something else. I can't. It's almost in my muscle memory to go away from the screen I'm on if there's a wait and then. Right, well.
Shannon Wilkinson:And I think that is like an attempt to multitask because you're trying to do this thing and it has a little bit of a lag. So you're doing this thing at the same time. And then, you know, the hope would be that you would go back to the original thing.
Janine Adams:Right.
Shannon Wilkinson:So back to your bank login. But you're probably sucked into whatever the other thing is that you looked at.
Janine Adams:Yeah. By the time you get back to the bank login, I've been locked out. Right. You're in timed out. So, yeah, it's a problem. And I. And.
And I'm wondering what the answer is. I mean, mindfulness is what pops to my mind. Awareness is a first. Good first step.
Shannon Wilkinson:Right. Well, I think recognizing that there are so many things pulling at our attention all the time and that we're used to having this stimulation.
And so, you know, sitting there while you're logging in feels uncomfortable, but sort of allowing yourself to be uncomfortable for those seconds so that you can finish the task at hand would be one strategy to try.
Janine Adams:Yeah, that's a good one. Also feel like maybe I need to start meditating or something because my. Because I'm not being willing to sit still or have my mind sit still. Yeah.
Right. Right.
Shannon Wilkinson:Well. And that could be both. Distractibility, like being easily distracted. By things, which, I mean, that's not anything on you.
That's sort of how our lives are now. But it is also possibly wanting to be distracted, albeit subconsciously. So you're not thinking about things that you don't want to think about.
You're not worrying about stuff. You're not perseverating on something that you're sort of keeping your brain engaged with other stuff so it doesn't go where you don't want it to.
Janine Adams:Yeah, I mean, that's a little bit in keeping with what we talked about last week with protecting ourselves around all the craziness in the world. Interesting, interesting. So in either case, meditation would be helpful.
Shannon Wilkinson:Meditation would be helpful because you. Because you get sort of two benefits. You get the time while you're meditating of calming down your nervous system.
And meditation isn't about not having thoughts or, you know, not thinking about stuff. It's about returning to whatever it is that you're focusing on. You know, sort of letting the thoughts go through your head and not attaching to them.
And so you get that. That sense of peace in the moment or sense of calm.
But then you also are exercising that muscle that increases your ability to be quiet, to have moments with nothing in them.
I mean, it would be an interesting experiment to like when you log into something that's a cue to meditate until the page comes up, you know, and it could be as simple as count your breaths or whatever. It doesn't have to be a whole thing.
Janine Adams:Right, right. And I like that idea.
And I also like the idea I was of just maybe trying to integrate, I don't know at what point in my day beginning probably gradually increasing amount of time where I meditate. In my office, I have a meditation bench which has not been sat on for. Well, not since I moved into this apartment. I used to use it with. In my.
In the guest room with my yoga stuff. It's a great little bench. So interesting. That would be an interesting. I think a really beneficial experiment for me.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah. And you know, sitting on your meditation bench is excellent. And also just sitting in my chair.
Moments of mindfulness in your chair is great because it. That also anchors that feeling to sitting in your chair, looking at your computer.
So you do that enough times, then it starts to happen automatically. Like your response begins to be that feeling of mindfulness.
Janine Adams:Right. Using a cue of something like logging in or some other pause that ordinarily would make me go to Facebook.
I think that's what my, like the thing, the knee jerk reaction has Turned into. That's a great cue. I mean, because it happens throughout the day, and if it's just. Even if it's just a few seconds. Oh, that's kind of.
I feel kind of excited by that.
Shannon Wilkinson:I know, Me too. It's like, ooh. Because, I mean, I think that that's something that we all deal with.
And then having adhd, I have that sort of on steroids, shall we say.
And while I was in sort of the real thick of my post surgery recovery, I wasn't taking my ADHD meds and I had an appointment with my mental health provider, and she was asking me about symptoms, and I didn't think that I was really experiencing anything. I wasn't doing a whole lot. But then I was like, oh, wait a minute.
I will start one thing and it will remind me of another thing, and it will remind me of another thing until at the end of the day, I've started 12 things that are throughout the house and nothing is finished. Yeah.
Janine Adams:Interesting.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah. So I think that's very relatable. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you don't have to have ADHD for that to happen.
But that is definitely one of my primary symptoms. And being back on my medication, it makes it so much easier to finish things and stay focused on what it is I want to get done.
Janine Adams:Yeah, yeah. Interesting.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah. That sort of took a turn from multitasking to meditation and mindfulness destructibility.
And I feel like kind of piggybacking on what we talked about last week.
As you said earlier, that single tasking, you know, staying mindful so that you can focus on one thing at a time and reduce the amount that you're distracted is really self care.
Janine Adams:Yeah. So many benefits. Right? It's self care in that it keeps you.
Keeps our minds focused and keeps us from worry and stress over things we're not able to control right now. But also it's makes us more effective, more productive, more. Just more calm. Right, right.
Shannon Wilkinson:Well. And it gives you at least a feeling or the benefits of feeling productive because you're actually accomplishing things.
You know, you can get things done instead of bouncing from thing to thing to thing and not getting anything done, which, you know, that doesn't make me feel good.
Janine Adams:Oh, no, it feels great to get things done.
Shannon Wilkinson:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we would love to hear from you, our listeners. Do you feel like you want to multitask? Are you willing to give monotasking a try?
You can leave us a message at:You can send us an email at gettingtogoodenoughmail.com until next time, this is Shannon Wilkinson in Portland, Oregon, and Janine Adams.
Janine Adams:In St. Louis, Missouri.
Shannon Wilkinson:And we hope that Good Enough is getting easier for you. Thanks for joining us on Getting to Good Enough. We hope you heard something that makes your life just a little bit easier.
If you did, leave us a review or share this with someone who's looking for their own version of Good Enough.
Janine Adams:Thanks for listening. See you soon.
Shannon Wilkinson:I feel like the real key for me is a good list.
Janine Adams:I don't know why I thought you were gonna say a good latte.
Shannon Wilkinson:That.
