You can do more than one thing at once. Like walking and writing this post, or brushing your teeth in the shower.

You can’t however concentrate on two things at once (regardless of your gender!). Your brain jumps between the two, even if in the blink of an eye.

So what?

Well, from a productivity perspective sometimes going slow and doing one thing at a time is faster than trying to do lots at once. It’s also less stressful.

That said, if well considered, there is clearly an impact benefit to picking something that you can do on autopilot (like standing waiting for the bus) and then something extra that is more meaningful, like self-reflecting.

There are two clear situations where trying to concentrate on multiple things at once is a bad idea. One is obvious…driving. The other, seems less so to many, and that’s when talking to each other.

So be wise and don’t get fooled into thinking you can concentrate on multiple things. It’s usually a false economy and more importantly, can damage relationships.