I sit down at my desk and open my Chromebook to Google Classroom, ready to complete my homework. I tell myself I’ll reward my productivity with a quick glance at my phone, but within minutes, I’m sucked into social media and texts from my friends. By the time I look back at my screen, I can’t even remember what assignment I was supposed to start.

Multitasking feels efficient because it feels busy. But the reality is, our brains aren’t wired for it. Instead of doing two things at once, we’re constantly switching gears, and each switch slows us down. It’s like trying to watch Netflix and write an essay at the same time, neither task gets your full attention. The American Psychological Association estimates that task switching can reduce productivity by up to 40 percent. That’s the difference between finishing homework before dinner and dragging it out until midnight. 

I see it happen with myself and my friends all the time. We open TikTok “just for a break,” and suddenly our quick distraction lasted 20 minutes. By the time you finally return to the assignment, your brain needs another few moments to remember where you left off. A study published by Stanford University on August 24, 2009 even found that heavy multitaskers are the worst at filtering irrelevant details. Essentially, the more you try to do everything at once, the worse you get at focusing on one thing. 

So if multi-tasking doesn’t work then what does? 

The answer is single-tasking: giving your full attention to one thing at a time. 

Although it may sound boring, even doing it in small shifts helps. I started by turning my phone upside down and putting it somewhere out of reach, but the notifications still distracted me. 

Now I set timers on my phone for how long I need to study or do homework before I can check it. I’ve noticed when I commit to working without switching tabs, I finish faster and with less stress. 

Multitasking isn’t going anywhere, it’s tempting and built into how we live. But knowing that it’s not a superpower has made me rethink how to study.

 The true challenge isn’t doing multiple things at once; it’s doing one thing well.