The Subtraction Lab, Issue 4
“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”
The Problem
High achievers often convince themselves they can do it all… and all at the same time. Maybe you’ve caught yourself:
→ Sending emails while half-watching TV
→ Replying to messages during a Zoom call
→ Cooking dinner while placing an Amazon order
→ Planning tomorrow while driving your kids somewhere
It feels like a clever way to save time. But underneath these actions is a set of beliefs that drive the burnout cycle: “There’s never enough time.” “If I don’t do it, who will?” And the most dangerous one of all: “I’m a great multitasker.”
One of my clients was convinced she fit that description. In reality, her days blurred into half-finished chores, missed details in conversations, and a constant sense of falling behind. By evening she was completely drained- and not from the amount of work, but from the mental gymnastics of constantly switching gears.
She felt like she’d worked hard all day but accomplished almost nothing.
Why that doesn’t work
Multitasking feels efficient in the moment, but in reality it’s like running your brain with twenty tabs open. Everything slows down, focus scatters, mistakes creep in, and eventually the whole system overheats.
Research backs this up. A comprehensive review in Psychological Bulletin looked at decades of multitasking studies and found the same result again and again: whenever people try to do more than one thing at a time, performance drops compared to focusing on a single task.
The Truth
So what’s really happening? Multitasking creates “cognitive bottlenecks”- your brain physically slows down as it shifts between tasks. Even people who believe they’re great at it end up losing focus, making more mistakes, and burning more energy than if they’d just stuck with one thing.
Pablo Picasso once said, “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” If you want focus, flow, and meaningful results, you first have to destroy the illusion that multitasking is a strength.
High-capacity people who are flourishing know the secret: they don’t do more at once. They do one thing at a time- and they do it well.
Now what?
Try this simple reset the next time you’re tempted to juggle multiple tasks at once.
Do Less to Feel Better
A simple tool I share with clients is what I call the One-Tab Rule. When you feel the urge to juggle, pause and ask: “If I could only have one tab open in my brain right now, which one would matter most?”
Then give yourself permission to focus on just that.
It doesn’t have to be an hour-long deep dive-five, ten, or fifteen minutes of single-tasking creates more momentum (and less stress) than an hour of split attention.
Why it Works
Repeat after me: Less is not laziness. Less is leverage.
By subtracting the noise of multitasking, you free up the clarity, energy, and focus to actually finish what you start- and feel better while doing it.
Here’s How:
1) Pause and choose. Ask, “Which task matters most right now?”
2) Close the tabs. Picture yourself hitting the little “X” on every mental tab except the one that matters most.
3) Set a timer. Commit to 10 minutes of focused attention.
To Sum it Up…
Multitasking isn’t mastery. It’s distraction dressed up as productivity.
Creation begins when you clear away what doesn’t serve you. Focus on one thing, and see what you can accomplish.
As promised, under 3 minutes - a practical way to outsmart burnout.
Keep subtracting,
Amy
PS Ready to feel like yourself again? Join our Burnout Recovery Group and start rebuilding your energy, one week at a time.
