One and Done

Quick Win

Multitasking may feel productive, but the opposite is true. Try exclusively focusing on one thing.

Try This Today

• Answer emails all at once. Choose one time of day to answer emails — and do nothing else. Concentrate on your inbox, and don’t click around to social media.
• Write a letter by hand. It’s easy to get distracted while writing an email, but putting pen to paper makes the process more meditative — and you may actually get it done! Use your favorite stationery and pen to craft a note the old-fashioned way. Then address and stamp the envelope and send it on its way.
• Fold with your full attention. Resist the urge to turn on the television when you sit down (or better yet, stand) with a basket of laundry to fold. The quiet may even motivate you to try a few Marie Kondo folding tricks.

Why

Although many people think they’re master multitaskers, the human brain is usually switching from one task to another, potentially focusing poorly on all. That’s according to a 2019 review in Cerebrum that provides findings that people who do more “media multitasking” — such as watching a movie while answering emails — are more distracted and perform worse on so-called cognitive control tasks that require working memory and flexible responses.