This month I want to talk about an academic article I recently came across. At first glance, it seemed to belong only to the corporate and strategic world, but in fact, it addressed a very basic issue about the limits of our brain’s capacity—something that directly shows up in our daily lives. The topic was something many of us deal with every day: “doing more than one thing at the same time.” Also known as multitasking. But is multitasking really as efficient as we think, or does it silently add to our mental load? Let’s explore this question.
Many people today believe that being able to juggle multiple tasks at once is a valuable skill. Talking on the phone while sending an email, answering messages while preparing a report, or checking social media while studying. All of these fall under the label of multitasking. Yet according to cognitive psychology, our brains struggle to perform two demanding cognitive tasks simultaneously. What we are really doing is not two tasks at once, but rapidly switching between them (Rogers & Monsell, 1995). In research, this is called task switching. So while we feel like we are working in parallel, our brain is constantly shifting gears, and each shift comes with a cost.
Working Memory and Cognitive Load
Cognitive psychology, especially the concept of working memory, helps us understand why. Working memory is limited to how much information we can actively hold and process at once (Baddeley, 1992). When we focus on a task, this limited capacity is devoted to that task. When another task interrupts, the brain has to set aside what it was working on, focus on the new one, and then attempt to reload the previous context. These repeated switches cost us both time and accuracy.
Imagine writing a report, then pausing to check a new message. By the time you return to the report, several minutes may be wasted—not simply because your attention drifted, but because your brain has to reconstruct the context before you can continue smoothly.
Findings in learning psychology show similar patterns: multitasking disrupts how we learn. Studying while scrolling through social media, for example, makes it harder for information to move from short-term to long-term memory. The brain is too busy dealing with constant new stimuli, leaving less capacity to consolidate learning.
Cognitive Load Theory and Its Relevance
This is where Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) becomes relevant. According to CLT, cognitive load comes in three forms (Sweller, 1988; Paas, Renkl, & Sweller, 2003):
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Intrinsic load: the natural difficulty of the task itself.
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Extraneous load: unnecessary distractions that make the task harder.
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Germane load: the mental effort that contributes to learning and understanding.
Research shows that multitasking especially increases extraneous load (Dooley & Papadopoulos, 2017). In other words, every extra distraction makes focusing and learning harder. Instead of saving time, multitasking actually makes the task at hand more complicated.
We can all see this mechanism in our own daily lives:
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Looking at your phone while reading a book makes it harder to grasp the text.
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Trying to answer emails during a meeting reduces the quality of both.
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Cooking while focusing on the TV leads to divided attention and small mistakes.
All of these examples show how, when we push our brain beyond its natural limits, mistakes become more likely (Rubinstein, Meyer, & Evans, 2001).
From Multitasking to Single-Tasking
The alternative is simple: single-tasking. Focusing on one task at a time improves performance, deepens learning, and reduces errors.
How can we put this into practice?
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Break work or study time into short, focused blocks (like the Pomodoro technique).
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Limit notifications and reduce on-screen distractions.
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Prioritize tasks and tackle them one by one.
Small adjustments like these can help us use our brain’s resources more efficiently. Multitasking has long been seen as a core skill of modern life. Yet cognitive and learning psychology show that it may be more of an illusion than an advantage. Our brain’s capacity is limited, and when we overload it, our attention splits and our cognitive load increases (Paas, Renkl, & Sweller, 2003). In contrast, focusing on one task and managing our attention deliberately leads to healthier and more effective outcomes.
Finally, a self-reflection: multitasking is a debated topic, and it would be unfair to claim that anyone who does it is doing something meaningless. From a psychological perspective, though, reducing cognitive load and completing tasks without constant stress or rush is the healthier path. The nature of each task also matters. The multitasking of an office worker handling emails cannot be compared to a surgeon in the middle of a critical operation. In today’s world, we all multitask to some extent without even noticing. But in situations where safety is on the line, this habit can have serious consequences. Think of driving while checking your phone—not just a small distraction, but a behavior that puts lives at risk.
References
Baddeley, A. D. (1992). Working memory. Science, 255(5044), 556–559.
Dooley, R. S., & Papadopoulos, A. (2017). The role of cognitive load in effective strategic issue management.
Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003). Cognitive load theory and instructional design: Recent developments. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 1–4.
Rogers, R. D., & Monsell, S. (1995). Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124(2), 207–231.
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763–797.