Let’s talk about a lie we’ve all been told: that productive people juggle many things at once.

The truth? Multitasking is a myth. Your brain doesn’t actually do multiple things simultaneously—it rapidly switches between tasks, and each switch comes with a cost.

The Hidden Cost of Task Switching

Research from the American Psychological Association shows that shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40% of your productive time. Every time you switch:

  • Your brain needs to “load” the new context
  • You lose momentum on the previous task
  • You increase the likelihood of errors
  • You drain your mental energy faster

That’s why you can spend 8 hours at your desk and feel like you accomplished nothing. You weren’t working—you were switching.

The Power of Monotasking

When you focus on just one thing:

  1. You enter flow states faster. Flow—that feeling of being completely absorbed in your work—typically requires 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted focus. With constant switching, you never get there.

  2. Your work quality improves. Studies show that people who single-task produce work with fewer errors and more creative solutions.

  3. You feel less stressed. The cognitive load of keeping multiple tasks “active” in your mind creates anxiety. One task = one focus = less stress.

  4. You actually finish things. Half-done tasks create what psychologists call the Zeigarnik Effect—a nagging mental tension that drains your energy. Completion brings relief.

How Hardcore Focus Enforces This

This is exactly why Hardcore Focus limits you to one task per focus session:

  • You must choose. Before starting, you declare your single focus. This forces prioritization.
  • The timer creates commitment. Once you start, you’ve committed to that one thing for the duration.
  • Distractions are blocked. App blocking removes the temptation to “quickly check” something else.
  • You track completions, not activity. At the end of the day, you see what you actually shipped—not how busy you felt.

Making the Shift

If you’re used to having 20 tabs open and 5 projects “in progress,” single-tasking will feel uncomfortable at first. That discomfort is your brain adjusting to actual productivity.

Here’s how to start:

  1. Start small. Try one 30-minute single-task session per day.
  2. Choose the hard thing. Use your single-task time for the work that matters most, not busywork.
  3. Remove temptation. Close tabs, silence notifications, block apps.
  4. Track your results. Notice how much you accomplish in focused time vs. fragmented time.

The One-Task Challenge

For the next week, try this: Each morning, identify the ONE thing that would make your day a success. Spend your first focused hour on only that thing.

No email. No Slack. No “quick checks.”

Just you and your one thing.

I predict you’ll accomplish more meaningful work in those 5 hours than you normally do in an entire week of “productive” multitasking.

One task. Full attention. Real results.

That’s the Hardcore Focus way.

Ready to try single-tasking? Download Hardcore Focus and experience the power of one task at a time.