It is a popular opinion that multitasking is the king of productivity. When you try to envision a highly productive person he usually does multiple things at once.

Or so it seems.

Studies have confirmed that doing more than one thing at time is a myth. The brain just doesn’t work that way. What really happens when you try to multitask is you switch your attention from one task to another in rapid succession. It happens so quickly that you perceive it as doing the tasks simultaniously.

OK, so it’s not technically multi-tasking but it does improve productivity, right?

Unfortunately, no. You might think you are getting more done when attempting to multitask, while research indicates that multitaskers are actually less productive. Not only that, multitasking also makes you less focused and more prone to making mistakes.

But why is that?

Each time you switch between tasks, you’re forcing…