The Multitasking Myth

Did you ever try doing homework while watching TV as a kid?

I did. I thought I had discovered the ultimate hack—make homework less boring by multitasking with some good old after-school television. Win-win, right?

Except… it wasn’t.

I genuinely believed I was saving time and being clever. In reality, I was building a mental habit that would follow me for decades: the belief that I could split my attention and be just as effective. Spoiler alert—I couldn’t. Neither can you.

The Brain Isn’t Built for Cognitive Multitasking

At the time, I didn’t know any better. But here’s what I know now: our brains aren’t wired to multitask conscious thoughts. Not even close.

Computers can do it by cheating with multiple processors. The human brain? We’ve got one processor, and it’s powerful—but it’s still just one.

When we try to do two cognitive tasks at once, we’re not actually multitasking. We’re task-switching, bouncing from one thing to another. And every switch comes with a cost. Mental drag. Loss of momentum. Lower quality. Higher stress.

It’s like trying to write a novel while also juggling knives. Dramatic? Maybe. But if you’ve ever answered emails while listening to a podcast while reheating dinner, you probably know what I mean.

I Carried That Habit for Years

That sneaky multitasking habit stuck with me through high school. College helped a little—no TV in my dorm—but the damage was done. I hadn’t learned how to truly focus. I hadn’t developed effective study habits. I was just winging it and calling it “productivity.”

The good news? Our brains are plastic. Not like Tupperware, but neuroplastic—they can change. With effort and intention, we can rewire how we think, focus, and perform.

How “Getting Sidetracked” is More Than a Metaphor

Ever hear someone say they got sidetracked? That phrase comes from railroading. A siding is a secondary track that lets part of a train wait while the main track stays clear.

That’s exactly what we do when we “multitask.” One thought stays on the main track. The other gets shuffled to the side. But unlike trains, our thoughts don’t just chill quietly on the siding. They tug at us. We try to bring them both back and forth—and it burns energy.

That switching—disconnecting and reconnecting again and again—is mentally exhausting. Multitasking doesn’t make us more efficient. It creates friction. Confusion. Mistakes.

We think we’re speeding up. But really, we’re spinning our wheels.

The SAP Approach: Focused and Effective

Inside the Master Key Experience, there’s a powerful technique we emphasize: SAP—Simplest Achievable Perfection. Remember, multitasking is not powerful.

The idea is simple: focus on one thing, do it with full attention, and aim for your best effort—not perfection in the unattainable sense, but excellence through repetition. That’s how real progress happens.

When you give your brain the space to concentrate, you actually go faster. You develop sharper habits. You waste less time backtracking and fixing mistakes. You build momentum that compounds over time.

And you stop fooling yourself into thinking you’re accomplishing more just because you’re doing more things at once.

You can also use meditation to improve your focus. More on that here.

Final Thoughts: Train Your Brain for Real Change

The multitasking myth is powerful—but it’s just that: a myth. You don’t need to split your attention to be productive.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Your brain wants focus. It wants to move in one direction with clarity.

And that’s what the Master Key Experience is designed to help you do. Not just break bad habits, but retrain your thinking habits from the inside out.

Because real change doesn’t come from doing more.

It comes from doing one thing well, and then another, and then another. With presence. With purpose. With power. Multitasking is a myth. Focus is the superpower!

Curious about SAP and the Master Key Experience?

Leave a comment or send me a message—I’d love to share more about how this simple, powerful process changed the way I think, work, and live.