Your Brain’s Not a Browser Tab: Why Multitasking is Ruining Your Mojo (and What to Do Instead)

We live in a world that celebrates doing it all. Emails while eating. Calls while walking. WhatsApps while… everything.

But here’s the truth: Your brain isn’t a browser tab. And it definitely wasn’t designed to run 47 of them at once.

As a Cyberpsychologist, and fellow human, I’ve seen firsthand how multitasking leads not to momentum, but to mental drain and missing out. We think we’re being productive, but we’re really just scattering our attention, and it’s costing us more than we realise.

It’s not just about getting more done. It’s about presence, creativity and that quiet clarity that helps us feel like ourselves again.

In my own life, it is not unheard of to find myself starting five different things before lunch and finishing none of them. On those distracted days, at some point, I will discover a cup of tea that has gone cold … and sometimes this happens twice.

That is a sign. My attention is everywhere and nowhere. And even with all the right tools and knowledge, I still need the reminder:

Presence is a practice.

Try This Today

These tiny habits have helped me (and many I work with) reset in a hyperconnected world:

• Drink one cup of tea without your phone, no email, no tabs

• Take 5 slow breaths before your next meeting or reply

• Pause when a ping comes in and ask “Do I need to act on this now?”

They’re not just rituals. They’re boundaries. And they send a powerful message, to yourself and to others: “I’m here. Fully.”

Especially if You Lead, Teach, Mentor or Create

Your presence is your power. Your team, clients, friends and family, they feel it when you’re really there. And they mirror it back.

Distraction is contagious. So is attention. Choose the one you want to model.

Have you ever caught yourself juggling too many mental tabs? What’s one thing that helps you come back to the moment?

I’d love to hear from you. This conversation matters, especially if you’re leading change, or simply trying to live and work with more intention.