Quote
“Multitasking is a lie.”
— Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, in The One Thing (2013) · The One Thing →
Why it was said
In The One Thing, Keller and Papasan list six 'lies' that stop people from focusing, and multitasking is the second. This blunt sentence opens their case against it, which draws on research showing that the brain switches between tasks rather than handling them at the same time.
What it actually means
The word lie is deliberate. Multitasking is not described as inefficient but as something that does not exist in the way people imagine. What feels like doing two things at once is rapid switching, and every switch has a cost: time to reorient, a lost thread, more mistakes. You can walk and talk, because one of those runs on autopilot, but you cannot give full attention to two demanding tasks at once. The practical sting is that multitasking feels productive, which is why people keep doing it. The book's alternative is not a clever trick but a boundary: one important thing at a time, with the other inputs shut out.
How to use it
- 1For one working block today, close every window and notification that does not belong to the task in front of you.
- 2Count how many times you switch tasks in an hour; the number is usually the argument on its own.
- 3If a meeting deserves your attention, put the phone away; if it does not, ask whether you need to be there at all.