You Can't Play Guitar and Juggle Barbie Dolls (don't ask) at the Same Time. Multitasking is a Myth.

Multitasking is a Total Myth

We’ve all heard it before. You’re a creative genius. You’ve got a coffee in one hand, a piano score on your lap, your guitar hanging precariously from your shoulder, and your phone vibrating because your agent wants to schedule yet another?meeting and the studio want to know what time you're turning up for the technical. You think, "I can handle this, I’m multitasking!"

Yes, I'm using music industry metaphors here but honestly, it applies to each and every one of us, whether we're in the music industry, creative industries or don't consider ourselves creative at all (of course we are all creative but that's for another blog.)

Anyway, back to multitasking. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but unless you’re Marti McFly (blatant over 40's reference) from the future, you’re probably not "multitasking" as efficiently as you think. Turns out, multitasking is one of the biggest myths in the modern world, right up there with “You can totally make a living from your art!” (Okay, you can, but let’s talk about multitasking first.)

The Brain Can’t Be Your Drummer, Bassist, and Lead Singer

Let's stay with the music analogies. Imagine you’re in the middle of a jam session. You’re trying to play guitar, lay down the bass line, and?sing lead vocals all at once. It’s chaotic, right? (Unless you’re Prince). That’s because your brain is a one-person band—it can do a lot of things, just not all at once.

According to neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, multitasking is a myth. He explains that what we think of as multitasking is actually "task-switching"—rapidly switching from one activity to another, like a hyperactive kid flipping between TV channels during commercials. Every time we switch, our brain has to hit the pause button on one task and press play on the next. And just like a band when they forget to plug in the amp, that delay adds up.

Why Task-Switching is Like a Jam Session Gone Wrong

When you switch between tasks—say, replying to an email while trying to compose the chorus for your magnum opus—you’re really just splitting your attention. And this constant back-and-forth has a price. According to a study from the University of California, Irvine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. Yes, 23 minutes! That’s longer than the average studio soundcheck!

Levitin likens this constant switch-up to having to re-tune your guitar every time you play a chord. Imagine how much time you’d lose during a gig. (You might get the opening riff to “Stairway to Heaven,” but that’s about it.) The brain has to re-tune itself every time you switch tasks, and just like a Fender after a wild solo, it takes time to get it back in tune.

One Track at a Time

Let’s get real for a second. No one tries to record all?the instruments at once, right? You lay down one track at a time in the studio. The drums first, then bass, then guitar, etc. Why? Because trying to do it all at once would sound like someone left your Spotify, iTunes and Alexa open all at once—chaotic, messy, and definitely not very creative. You'd struggle to make sense of what's going on, right?

The same is true for how your brain works. Studies show that focusing on one thing at a time not only improves your performance but also makes you more efficient. So next time you’re tempted to write lyrics, check your Instagram likes, and warm up your vocal cords all at the same time, just remember—your brain prefers to work like a studio session, not a chaotic garage jam.

The Cost of Multitasking: Your Creativity Takes a Hit

If you're reading this, you likely identify as creative—your best work comes from being in the zone, right? But multitasking is like having a lead singer who’s checking their phone for Instagram likes while singing the chorus or a designer who is trying to create while running on a treadmill. It just doesn’t work! Creative flow—the magical state where ideas pour out of you like melodies from a well-tuned Steinway—requires focus.

Daniel Levitin points out that when we multitask, we’re using up precious glucose (the brain's fuel), which leaves us more fatigued and less creative. The brain isn’t built to constantly switch gears, and trying to do so makes you as tired as a drummer after a four-hour set. In short, multitasking can drain the energy that you should be saving for your best creative work.

What About All Those "Creative Geniuses" Who Seem to Do Everything?

You might be thinking, but didn’t Mozart write symphonies while fielding text messages and coordinating rehearsals on Google Calendar??Well, no. First, because Wi-Fi didn’t exist in 1782, but second, and more importantly, because even creative geniuses knew the power of focus.

Studies have shown that those who appear to be master multitaskers—like that one friend who’s an ace guitarist, part-time graphic designer, and successful TikToker—are probably just great at categorising and prioritising. They’re not doing all those things at once; they’re just excellent at figuring out when to switch gears, and they give 100% to each task when they’re on it.

How to Actually Get Things Done: The "One Song at a Time" Rule

So what’s the alternative to multitasking? Easy: don’t do it!?Focus on one thing at a time—call it the “one song at a time” rule. Write your lyrics first, then work on the melody, then pick up your guitar. It’s like building a song from scratch—each piece comes together to create something beautiful, but you wouldn’t try to record all the parts at once!

If you need a practical tip, try time-blocking (I use the Pomodoro technique - google it). Dedicate 20-30 minutes to a specific task—whether it’s looking at that creative brief, writing down those song lyrics that popped into your head at 3am when you were half asleep, mapping out that book idea, recording that melody that won't stop looping in your mind. Do one, then take a break. Your brain will thank you, and you’ll be able to unleash your full creative potential without running out of steam.

Basically, Don’t Believe the Hype

Multitasking might sound cool, like being able to play guitar with one hand while flipping pancakes with the other. But science, and the wisdom of folks like Daniel Levitin, tells us that it’s just a myth. The next time someone brags about their ability to “do it all at once,” just nod, smile, and go back to focusing on what really matters: the task (singular) in hand.

After all, even Beethoven needed to focus when he was writing a symphony and if it’s good enough for Ludwig, it’s probably good enough for us. So here’s to focusing on one thing at a time—and doing it well.

Now, get back to it you creative genius you...or take a break. Whatever feeds your creativity at this precise moment in time.

TTFN,

Michele

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p.s. In case you still have the image of Barbie dolls being whizzed up in the air in your mind's eye, that's something I literally witnessed recently - a guitar playing Barbie juggler. Well it was?Edinburgh. Wish I'd taken photographic evidence. Next time!

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