---
type: "article"
title: "The myth of multitasking, one more time"
summary: "You're not doing two things at once. You're doing them badly in sequence, and paying a tax each time you switch."
newsletter: "Deep Focus"
newsletter_handle: "deep-focus"
newsletter_url: "https://staging.in.usecommune.com/n/deep-focus"
author: "Amara Okafor (@amaraokafor)"
published: "2026-08-10T08:30:00.000Z"
canonical_url: "https://staging.in.usecommune.com/n/deep-focus/a/the-myth-of-multitasking"
markdown_url: "https://staging.in.usecommune.com/n/deep-focus/a/the-myth-of-multitasking.md"
chat_url: "https://staging.in.usecommune.com/n/deep-focus/a/the-myth-of-multitasking/chat"
body_source: "native"
likes: 5
replies: 0
body_words: 41
---

# The myth of multitasking, one more time

There's no such thing as multitasking for cognitive work. There's only fast, expensive switching.

- Each switch has a reorientation cost.
- The cost is invisible, so we underrate it.
- Batching similar work is the cheapest productivity win there is.

***

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