July 14, 2025 • 13 mins
If multitasking really worked, we’d be caught up on email, folding laundry, and finishing a podcast all at the same time. But in reality, multitasking isn’t doing two things at once—it’s rapid task-switching. And every switch comes with a cost.
In this episode of The Workplace Chameleon, Dr. Celina Peerman unpacks why the myth of multitasking persists and what it’s really costing leaders, teams, and organizations. From the illusion of productivity to cultural pressure to “always be on,” Dr. Celina explores why so many of us fall for multitasking and why it leaves us drained, error-prone, and spinning in shallow work.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to the Workplace Chameleon.
This is Dr Selina.
Thanks for taking some timewith me.
This episode called the Myth ofMultitasking is about one of my
favorite topics.
I want you to consider todaywhy splitting your attention
(00:27):
costs more than it saves.
If you haven't checked it outyet, I have a book out called 39
Squirrels, really inspired bythe fact that at any given point
in my day, I have 300 squirrelsrunning in my brain, and I
narrowed it down to 39 of themin a book to share some insights
(00:51):
with you about how we need toswitch less, finish more, and
there is a cost of switching.
I tie these back to the funimage of squirrels, but
certainly there are lots of waysyou could describe it here at
the Workplace Chameleon, this isthe place we try to sharpen,
focus, protect priorities andalign with what matters most
(01:20):
people and it's with and throughpeople that we drive
organizational results.
I also believe if multitaskingreally worked, I'd be done with
my inbox, my laundry and thispodcast all at the same time,
but only one of those ishappening right now Multitasking
feels productive right.
(01:42):
Have you had that moment whereyou got this going and that
going, and this going and thatgoing, and whoo.
It feels good, but the realityis it's mental task switching.
So I move from this squirrel tothat squirrel to that squirrel
and back.
And while it may feelproductive, switching is
(02:04):
expensive.
When was the last time youtried to do two things at once
and both took longer than theyshould have?
Consider for a moment whymultitasking is a myth.
(02:28):
Multitasking has currently beendefined as doing more than one
thing at a time.
It's inaccurate.
When you look at the brainresearch, it is rapidly
switching between them.
You're not really doing twothings at the same time and
every switch costs focus,momentum and accuracy.
(02:55):
Now you may be sitting at yourcomputer and you're in deep work
trying to get something doneand that email notification or
instant message notificationpops up on your computer and you
look at it and you go, oh, I'lljust take care of this right
(03:15):
now.
When you do that, the cost isfocus, momentum and accuracy.
You just gave that priorityover anything else that you were
working on.
Now, of course, in that momentyou needed to decide which gets
your attention.
Research on that switchingreally looks at the fact that
(03:41):
it's like stopping every 100yards on a run to tie your shoes
.
You never hit your stride.
There are a variety ofresearchers and authors there
that talk about.
There's deeper work thatrequires your all-consuming
focus, and that's the work thatneeds you mentally present all
(04:03):
the way through.
There are a couple of statsthat I pay attention to, and one
of them is on average, whenyou're in deep thinking work and
you get interrupted, it's goingto take you over 20 minutes to
get back to the level ofproductivity you were at before
(04:24):
you got interrupted.
You might say to me Selena,we're talking about multitasking
.
I can do both of those at thesame time.
No, we try, but when we splitour attention, we're not getting
any of it done.
Well, I'll call and it's acheesy phrase, tasky, tasky,
(04:49):
like get that done, get thatdone, get that done, get that
done, and it feels superproductive.
But there are some points ofactivities and tasks and work
where you can just zing thoseout pretty darn quick because
they don't take deeper cognitivefocus.
One of the things that I seewith us at work right, we
(05:10):
respond to an email when we'resupposed to be on a Zoom call.
We're checking our phone duringa meeting.
We're listening.
Okay, can you see my air quotes?
I'm doing air quotes whiledrafting another document.
We fall for this illusion ofproductivity.
Busy does not equal productiveand, by the way, we live in a
(05:34):
world right now of instantgratification because that quick
hit of dopamine from switchingto something easier or more
interesting feels good.
We also have some culturalpressure because fast equals
good in many places, even if itsacrifices depth and, quite
(05:58):
frankly, fear of missing out,constantly checking messages
just in case.
Have you refreshed a screeneven though you know you were
just on that app?
Or you shut the app, went toanother one and then went right
back, even though it's been like10 seconds, just in case?
(06:19):
In our work, I want us to namethe true cost of switching Loss
of depth.
Shallow thinking replaces deepproblem solving, which then
creates a whole new set ofissues on our teams.
(06:39):
When we switch, errors increaseas a result.
Details get missed, timeexpands, no-transcript.
(07:06):
Consider this.
Imagine trying to train a newpuppy, bake bread and have a
deep conversation all at once.
You'll end up with ahalf-trained puppy, burnt bread
I can attest to that and aconfused friend.
The workplace is no different.
(07:30):
So what are some strategies wecan use to focus on one thing at
a time?
Now, if you're a recoveringmultitasker.
That may be really hard.
Here's what I've noticed andagain, remember I shared with
you 300 squirrels in my brain atany given point in time, but
(07:52):
for me to single task there issome relief.
Now there are some things I canknock out one after the other,
but that's speed, not deepthinking.
When you can batch tasks likegroup similar work, a couple of
(08:14):
phone calls and you just need toknock them out, I find that my
personal life that list ofthings I'm supposed to go set
appointments for and follow upon and check on If I can just
knock those out in a row, I doway better than one here and one
there or working through youremail inbox and be able to take
those tasky tasky somethings.
(08:35):
Knock out a few of those emailsthat don't require deep
thinking.
But when we hop in between typesof tasks, our focus gets
stretched.
What could you knock out andjust do better with, because
you're not switching in between?
For a long time we've used therecommendation of time blocking.
(08:58):
Protect deep work time on yourcalendar.
You need some think time.
Sometimes your work or projectsor activities just take more
thought and that thought doesn'thave to just be your brain time
(09:19):
.
But you're doing something.
Maybe it's a report, maybe it'sa detailed process, but it
takes a deeper level ofcognition, which is this knowing
piece of our brain, ourthinking parts.
Even 15 to 20 minutes withoutinterruption, you're going to
(09:40):
get deeper.
Sometimes bigger things takehours, yes, but again, if you
get interrupted during somethingthat takes that deeper thinking
time, it's going to take youlonger to get back in that flow.
I do like micro goals.
They help me manage mysquirrels.
Finish one small piece fullyOkay, fully Before moving on.
(10:07):
I sometimes have to stop myselflike you have not finished,
that you may not move on.
Are there some visual anchorsyou could put on your desk or
your workstation as a reminder?
I have one.
It says one thing at a time.
I just always do better, andthe brain research supports this
(10:29):
.
So it's not just according toDr Selina, with 300 squirrels.
I note some of this in the bookcalled 39 Squirrels, but teach
your team phrases like let'sfinish this before we start that
.
Here are a couple of reflectionquestions that you may find
(10:51):
helpful or you can share withpeople around you.
Where in our day are we mostlikely to multitask?
What's one type of work we canprotect from interruptions.
How can we help each otherfocus on one thing at a time?
(11:15):
Maybe you can come up with acode word with a coworker of
yours that when you need to goin and fully concentrate on
something, even for 15 minutes,can you say something to them?
So they just got you, they'regoing to cover because when they
need deep thinking time, you'vegot them.
(11:36):
Remember, multitasking feelsfaster but it's really a slow
leak on your focus and energy.
On your focus and energy, apossible call to action could be
today pick one block of time 20minutes an hour and give it to
(12:02):
one task, no switching, to seehow much better it feels to
finish it instead of juggling.
I'm finding that when I takethe time away, my brain just
gets a little bit different kindof rest.
(12:23):
My brain just gets a little bitdifferent kind of rest and,
quite frankly, when the words Ihear from so many of you in my
day-to-day work with companiesincludes the word exhausted, I
think we need as much break,even for a few minutes, getting
(12:43):
some bandwidth back in ourbrains when it's juggling less
and focused more.
I think we're going to do somegreat things together.
Thanks for joining me on theWorkplace Chameleon Again.
If today's episode made youthink, share it with a colleague
.
Or you can always say I have anassignment from Dr Selena.
(13:05):
Send it to your boss and say Itold you so.
Lead with intention, protectyour energy and please keep
learning something new today.
Welcome to the Workplace Chameleon.
This is Dr Selina.
Thanks for taking some timewith me.
This episode called the Myth ofMultitasking is about one of my
favorite topics.
I want you to consider todaywhy splitting your attention
(00:27):
costs more than it saves.
If you haven't checked it outyet, I have a book out called 39
Squirrels, really inspired bythe fact that at any given point
in my day, I have 300 squirrelsrunning in my brain, and I
narrowed it down to 39 of themin a book to share some insights
(00:51):
with you about how we need toswitch less, finish more, and
there is a cost of switching.
I tie these back to the funimage of squirrels, but
certainly there are lots of waysyou could describe it here at
the Workplace Chameleon, this isthe place we try to sharpen,
focus, protect priorities andalign with what matters most
(01:20):
people and it's with and throughpeople that we drive
organizational results.
I also believe if multitaskingreally worked, I'd be done with
my inbox, my laundry and thispodcast all at the same time,
but only one of those ishappening right now Multitasking
feels productive right.
(01:42):
Have you had that moment whereyou got this going and that
going, and this going and thatgoing, and whoo.
It feels good, but the realityis it's mental task switching.
So I move from this squirrel tothat squirrel to that squirrel
and back.
And while it may feelproductive, switching is
(02:04):
expensive.
When was the last time youtried to do two things at once
and both took longer than theyshould have?
Consider for a moment whymultitasking is a myth.
(02:28):
Multitasking has currently beendefined as doing more than one
thing at a time.
It's inaccurate.
When you look at the brainresearch, it is rapidly
switching between them.
You're not really doing twothings at the same time and
every switch costs focus,momentum and accuracy.
(02:55):
Now you may be sitting at yourcomputer and you're in deep work
trying to get something doneand that email notification or
instant message notificationpops up on your computer and you
look at it and you go, oh, I'lljust take care of this right
(03:15):
now.
When you do that, the cost isfocus, momentum and accuracy.
You just gave that priorityover anything else that you were
working on.
Now, of course, in that momentyou needed to decide which gets
your attention.
Research on that switchingreally looks at the fact that
(03:41):
it's like stopping every 100yards on a run to tie your shoes
.
You never hit your stride.
There are a variety ofresearchers and authors there
that talk about.
There's deeper work thatrequires your all-consuming
focus, and that's the work thatneeds you mentally present all
(04:03):
the way through.
There are a couple of statsthat I pay attention to, and one
of them is on average, whenyou're in deep thinking work and
you get interrupted, it's goingto take you over 20 minutes to
get back to the level ofproductivity you were at before
(04:24):
you got interrupted.
You might say to me Selena,we're talking about multitasking
.
I can do both of those at thesame time.
No, we try, but when we splitour attention, we're not getting
any of it done.
Well, I'll call and it's acheesy phrase, tasky, tasky,
(04:49):
like get that done, get thatdone, get that done, get that
done, and it feels superproductive.
But there are some points ofactivities and tasks and work
where you can just zing thoseout pretty darn quick because
they don't take deeper cognitivefocus.
One of the things that I seewith us at work right, we
(05:10):
respond to an email when we'resupposed to be on a Zoom call.
We're checking our phone duringa meeting.
We're listening.
Okay, can you see my air quotes?
I'm doing air quotes whiledrafting another document.
We fall for this illusion ofproductivity.
Busy does not equal productiveand, by the way, we live in a
(05:34):
world right now of instantgratification because that quick
hit of dopamine from switchingto something easier or more
interesting feels good.
We also have some culturalpressure because fast equals
good in many places, even if itsacrifices depth and, quite
(05:58):
frankly, fear of missing out,constantly checking messages
just in case.
Have you refreshed a screeneven though you know you were
just on that app?
Or you shut the app, went toanother one and then went right
back, even though it's been like10 seconds, just in case?
(06:19):
In our work, I want us to namethe true cost of switching Loss
of depth.
Shallow thinking replaces deepproblem solving, which then
creates a whole new set ofissues on our teams.
(06:39):
When we switch, errors increaseas a result.
Details get missed, timeexpands, no-transcript.
(07:06):
Consider this.
Imagine trying to train a newpuppy, bake bread and have a
deep conversation all at once.
You'll end up with ahalf-trained puppy, burnt bread
I can attest to that and aconfused friend.
The workplace is no different.
(07:30):
So what are some strategies wecan use to focus on one thing at
a time?
Now, if you're a recoveringmultitasker.
That may be really hard.
Here's what I've noticed andagain, remember I shared with
you 300 squirrels in my brain atany given point in time, but
(07:52):
for me to single task there issome relief.
Now there are some things I canknock out one after the other,
but that's speed, not deepthinking.
When you can batch tasks likegroup similar work, a couple of
(08:14):
phone calls and you just need toknock them out, I find that my
personal life that list ofthings I'm supposed to go set
appointments for and follow upon and check on If I can just
knock those out in a row, I doway better than one here and one
there or working through youremail inbox and be able to take
those tasky tasky somethings.
(08:35):
Knock out a few of those emailsthat don't require deep
thinking.
But when we hop in between typesof tasks, our focus gets
stretched.
What could you knock out andjust do better with, because
you're not switching in between?
For a long time we've used therecommendation of time blocking.
(08:58):
Protect deep work time on yourcalendar.
You need some think time.
Sometimes your work or projectsor activities just take more
thought and that thought doesn'thave to just be your brain time
(09:19):
.
But you're doing something.
Maybe it's a report, maybe it'sa detailed process, but it
takes a deeper level ofcognition, which is this knowing
piece of our brain, ourthinking parts.
Even 15 to 20 minutes withoutinterruption, you're going to
(09:40):
get deeper.
Sometimes bigger things takehours, yes, but again, if you
get interrupted during somethingthat takes that deeper thinking
time, it's going to take youlonger to get back in that flow.
I do like micro goals.
They help me manage mysquirrels.
Finish one small piece fullyOkay, fully Before moving on.
(10:07):
I sometimes have to stop myselflike you have not finished,
that you may not move on.
Are there some visual anchorsyou could put on your desk or
your workstation as a reminder?
I have one.
It says one thing at a time.
I just always do better, andthe brain research supports this
(10:29):
.
So it's not just according toDr Selina, with 300 squirrels.
I note some of this in the bookcalled 39 Squirrels, but teach
your team phrases like let'sfinish this before we start that
.
Here are a couple of reflectionquestions that you may find
(10:51):
helpful or you can share withpeople around you.
Where in our day are we mostlikely to multitask?
What's one type of work we canprotect from interruptions.
How can we help each otherfocus on one thing at a time?
(11:15):
Maybe you can come up with acode word with a coworker of
yours that when you need to goin and fully concentrate on
something, even for 15 minutes,can you say something to them?
So they just got you, they'regoing to cover because when they
need deep thinking time, you'vegot them.
(11:36):
Remember, multitasking feelsfaster but it's really a slow
leak on your focus and energy.
On your focus and energy, apossible call to action could be
today pick one block of time 20minutes an hour and give it to
(12:02):
one task, no switching, to seehow much better it feels to
finish it instead of juggling.
I'm finding that when I takethe time away, my brain just
gets a little bit different kindof rest.
(12:23):
My brain just gets a little bitdifferent kind of rest and,
quite frankly, when the words Ihear from so many of you in my
day-to-day work with companiesincludes the word exhausted, I
think we need as much break,even for a few minutes, getting
(12:43):
some bandwidth back in ourbrains when it's juggling less
and focused more.
I think we're going to do somegreat things together.
Thanks for joining me on theWorkplace Chameleon Again.
If today's episode made youthink, share it with a colleague
.
Or you can always say I have anassignment from Dr Selena.
(13:05):
Send it to your boss and say Itold you so.
Lead with intention, protectyour energy and please keep
learning something new today.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.