Why Multitasking Can Make It Harder to Focus and Remember

Multitasking can make it harder to focus, learn, and remember. Learn why switching between tasks affects attention and simple ways to reduce distractions.

31 de agosto de 2026 · 7 min ·por Welleness Guide

Checking your phone while watching television. Answering emails while listening to a meeting. Cooking dinner while responding to messages.

Modern life makes it easy to do several things at once, and it can feel as though multitasking helps us get more done.

But there is an important distinction between doing several simple activities at the same time and repeatedly shifting your attention between tasks that require concentration.

When a task requires you to think, remember information, make decisions, or solve a problem, switching your attention can come with a mental cost.

Research on multitasking and task switching has consistently found that people can become slower or make more mistakes when they move back and forth between tasks.

This does not mean that multitasking is permanently damaging your brain. It means that your attention has limits, and constantly dividing it can make certain mental activities harder.

What Happens When You Switch From One Task to Another?

Imagine you are reading an important email.

You get a notification, check your phone, answer a message, and then return to the email.

It may seem like the interruption only took 20 seconds. But your brain also has to figure out where you were, what you were thinking about, and what you intended to do next.

Psychologists often refer to this as a switching cost.

Research has found that switching between tasks can reduce efficiency, particularly when the tasks are complex or unfamiliar. The more demanding the tasks, the more noticeable the cost can become.

So the problem is not simply that you are "doing too many things." It is that your attention has to repeatedly reorganize itself.

How Multitasking Can Affect Memory

Attention and memory are closely connected.

Before your brain can properly remember new information, it generally needs to pay enough attention to that information in the first place.

If your attention is repeatedly interrupted, there may be less opportunity to fully process what you are seeing, hearing, or reading.

Studies examining working memory have found that interruptions and competing tasks can interfere with the ability to retain information for short periods. Research involving older adults has also found that interruptions can have a greater effect on working memory in later life.

This can show up in ordinary situations.

You read a paragraph and immediately realize you cannot remember what it said.

Someone tells you something while you are looking at your phone, and a few minutes later you cannot recall the details.

You walk into another room and forget why you went there.

These experiences do not automatically indicate a memory disorder. Sometimes the information simply never received your full attention in the first place.

Multitasking Is Not Always Doing Two Things at Once

There is another reason multitasking can be confusing.

People often imagine multitasking as performing two activities simultaneously. In reality, many everyday examples involve rapidly switching from one activity to another.

For example:

Writing an email, then checking a notification
Working on a document, then opening a news website
Watching a video while scrolling through social media
Cooking while repeatedly checking messages
Studying while switching between several apps

Each switch may appear insignificant.

But repeated throughout the day, these interruptions can create a constant demand for your attention.

Research on task switching has found that switching can affect both speed and accuracy.

Why Phones and Notifications Can Be So Distracting

Digital devices make attention switching particularly easy.

A notification does not need to be important to interrupt your concentration.

The simple possibility that something new has arrived can pull your attention away from what you were doing.

And once you switch away, returning to the original task is not always immediate.

You may need to reconstruct what you were thinking about before the interruption.

This is one reason a task that should take 20 minutes can sometimes stretch much longer when notifications and interruptions are constantly competing for attention.

The American Psychological Association describes these repeated switches as having measurable costs for efficiency and performance.

Does Multitasking Get Harder With Age?

Some aspects of multitasking and attention can change with age.

Research comparing younger and older adults has found that interruptions can interfere with working memory, with some studies finding greater disruption among older adults.

That does not mean that difficulty concentrating while multitasking is automatically a sign of cognitive decline.

Many everyday factors can affect attention and memory, including sleep, stress, physical health, medications, hearing, vision, and other aspects of health. The National Institute on Aging notes that cognitive health is influenced by multiple genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.

In other words, occasionally losing your train of thought after an interruption is not enough to tell you what is happening with your brain health.

Simple Ways to Give Your Attention a Break

You do not need to eliminate every distraction from your life.

Instead, try making certain activities more single-task focused.

Put the phone out of reach

If you are reading, writing, studying, or having an important conversation, place your phone somewhere that makes checking it less automatic.

Turn off unnecessary notifications

Not every app needs permission to interrupt you.

Keeping only genuinely useful notifications can reduce the number of times your attention is pulled away.

Finish small tasks before switching

When possible, complete one short task before moving to another rather than constantly alternating between several unfinished activities.

Create periods of uninterrupted concentration

Even 20 or 30 minutes without unnecessary interruptions can make a demanding task feel easier.

The goal is not perfection. It is to give your brain periods in which it does not have to constantly decide what deserves attention next.

Take breaks instead of forcing concentration

If you have been working for a long time and your attention is fading, a short break may be more useful than continuing to switch between tasks.

Physical activity is also associated with several aspects of brain health, including cognitive function, sleep, and mental well-being.

What About "Brain Training"?

It is easy to see advertisements promising better memory, sharper thinking, or a stronger brain through a particular exercise, game, supplement, or product.

The evidence is more complicated than many advertisements suggest.

The National Institute on Aging notes that researchers continue to study cognitive training, diet, supplements, physical activity, and other approaches to cognitive health. It also cautions consumers about unproven products that promise to improve memory or prevent dementia.

For that reason, it is better to think about brain health as a combination of habits and overall health rather than looking for one solution that is supposed to do everything.

When Memory or Concentration Problems Deserve Attention

Occasional forgetfulness is common.

However, persistent or worsening problems deserve more attention, especially when they begin interfering with everyday activities.

Examples might include repeatedly forgetting important appointments, struggling with familiar tasks, getting lost in familiar places, or noticing significant changes in your ability to manage normal responsibilities.

If memory or concentration problems are persistent, worsening, or affecting daily life, it is reasonable to discuss them with a healthcare professional.

There can be many possible explanations, and identifying the underlying cause is important before assuming that a memory problem represents a particular disease.

The Bigger Picture of Brain Health

Your brain does not operate separately from the rest of your body.

Cognitive health includes the ability to think, learn, and remember, but overall brain health is broader than memory alone. It can also involve emotional, sensory, and motor functions.

That is why protecting brain health is not simply about doing memory exercises or trying to avoid every moment of forgetfulness.

Sleep, physical activity, management of conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, healthy habits, social connection, and other aspects of everyday health can all play a role.

And one surprisingly simple place to start is attention.

The next time you have something important to remember, try giving it your full attention instead of doing three other things at the same time.

Sometimes, remembering better starts with simply paying attention better.