Monotasking

I’ve heard a lot about “multitasking,” but what I’d like to get better at is “monotasking.” It’s so easy—at least for me—to try to do multiple things at once. But I’ve also seen how focusing on one thing at a time leads to a much different experience.

Multitasking’s main appeal is the possibility of increased efficiency. Why spend time doing just one thing if I can use the same time to do other things as well? Isn’t that a better use of my limited time?

Perhaps, in some cases. Unlike multitasking, monotasking isn’t focused primarily on efficiency—on squeezing more tasks into the same amount of time. Monotasking is about giving all your attention to the task in front of you. Doing so may lead to better work or more efficiency in the long run. But even if it doesn’t, giving this kind of attention to only one thing at a time does result in an altogether different experience.

Choosing to take a walk—and just taking a walk—is a different experience than walking while also listening to a podcast or making a phone call. Listening to an album—and just listening to an album—is different than listening to it while also catching up on email or doing other busy work. Either approach may not be quantitatively “better,” but they do result in different experiences.

I’m all for trying to make good use of our time. But I’m also wondering what we miss out on when apparent efficiency becomes the metric we care most about. We may need to multitask in various situations, but how often do we do so at other times purely out of habit? And what do we miss out on in doing so?