Learn the Hidden Cost of Multitasking

Have you bought into the idea that multitasking is a requirement for a productive life?

Do you find yourself on a Zoom call, replying to texts, eating lunch, and making a to-do list—all at the same time? You might call it “being efficient.” But in reality, it could be a sign of something deeper: toxic resilience.

Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a Harvard physician and stress expert, coined the term toxic resilience to describe the pressure to push through stress, be productive at all costs, and wear burnout like a badge of honor. Multitasking is one way this shows up in our everyday lives.

But research shows that multitasking doesn’t make us more effective—it actually makes us less focused, more forgetful, and more stressed. What we call multitasking is really task switching—rapidly shifting our attention from one thing to another. Every switch comes with a cognitive toll.

Depriving our brains of the time they need to reorient and refocus means we lose momentum and make more mistakes. And when we train our nervous systems to stay in overdrive for days and weeks at a time, our minds become wired for distraction. We end up feeling mentally scattered, emotionally depleted, and physically exhausted.

So this week, do something that promotes true resilience by focusing on one thing at a time.

Choose an activity and give it your full attention:

• Drink your coffee without checking your phone.

• Go for a walk without listening to a podcast.

• Make dinner without the television on.

Let it feel spacious. Let it feel slow. Let it be enough.

You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to go at a human pace. That’s not weakness—it’s wisdom.

What’s one thing you can single-task today?