Singletasking and Stoicism

Seven Ways to Avoid Multitasking, Accomplish More, and Be Happier

It is very hard to singletask with a new puppy in the house.

But having started this post on singletasking, I decided to persist through the playful interruptions, the walks, the snuggles, and the whines.

With stoic effort, I might add.

My book club read Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic last month as I was preparing this Substack on Singletasking. And since Seneca’s letters were written around 2000 years ago, one question we asked was: What still resonates today?

One idea that resonates is that true happiness comes from being in the moment and that deep focus—rather than scattering our attention among many things—builds mastery and a sense of peace.

Coincidently, that was the point I wanted to get across in this Substack. Singletasking, not multitasking, is where it’s at. But how do you accomplish that?

I have some ideas, but before I get to that, let’s look at the science.

The Myth of Multitasking

I am going to guess that there are more potential distractions now than two centuries ago. We think we can multitask, but according to Devora Zack multitasking is a myth (Singletasking: Get More Things Done One At A Time).

Brain Scatter and Task-Switching

Rather than multitasking, we are engaged in what Zack calls “scattered brain syndrome.” Our brains are made to do one thing at a time. We might think we are multitasking, but what we are really doing is “task-switching.” Neuroscientists say this lowers IQ, shrinks gray matter, and can lower productivity by up to 40 percent. Zack promotes singletasking to develop heightened focus and get more done by living in the moment.

Clutter

Last month, I also read The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker. As luck would have it, he quoted Seneca as he talked of the value of saying no.

Seneca Wrote:

“Everybody agrees that no one pursuit can be successfully followed by a man who is busy with many things.”

While most of his book is about minimalism and getting rid of clutter, Becker also addresses a cluttered schedule. He follows with Seneca’s idea that if you say no to mediocre commitments, you will have the time for your most important commitment.

So, combining ideas from Seneca, Zack, and Becker, here is a list that may help.

Seven Ways to Avoid Multi-tasking, Accomplish More, and Be Happier:

1. Say no to mediocre activities and opportunities (every yes, is a no to something else)

2. Reduce visual clutter and “schedule clutter”

3. Time block (chunk related tasks together on your calendar)

4. Stay in the present by syncing your thoughts with your actions

5. Create a Parking Lot: If an unrelated idea or task interrupts your focus, jot it down in a designated spot and return to the single task you were working on.

6. Create systems and boundaries around your most important activity (an example of a boundary is using Pomodoros to focus)

7. Take breaks so you can return with refreshed focus on your single task (idleness is not laziness—it is necessary for creativity and productivity)

Lately I find myself “task-switching” and getting distracted by incoming texts, emails, and conversations in the next room. But mostly by the dog whining at the door. Singletasking forces you to commit to the important things you choose to do. To make a choice and own it. To reduce my gray matter shrinkage, today I will focus on one task at a time and take this puppy for a walk.