The term “multi-tasking” didn’t arrive on the scene until the 1960s. But it was used to describe computers, not people. 

And if you think about it, even computers don’t do multiple things at once as well as they do one thing at a time. 

Imagine your computer running multiple apps, windows, and other software all at the same time. What happens?

The fan kicks on, each app runs slower than it would otherwise. If you’re using a Mac, you’ll probably get that bouncing pinwheel of death…

In simple terms, what’s happening (at least in modern multi-core Macs) is that the different cores of the processors “split apart” to run the different “threads” separately. Each core has to work on its own to do a different task. This is known as multi-threading.

But if you just run one app at a time, the cores can all work together to accomplish that single task faster and more efficiently. This is single-threading.

The human brain works the same way. It does ONE THING very well and multiple things poorly. It’s not designed for “multi-tasking.” 

If computers can’t do it well, what chance do you have? 

It’s cliché to say it, but do one thing at a time until it’s one for better results.