The other night, I caught myself doing it again. The movie was on. My phone was in my hand. I wasn’t fully watching, and I wasn’t fully scrolling—I was stuck in a kind of gray zone of half-attention. At the end of the film, I couldn’t tell you what had happened. At the end of the scroll, I couldn’t tell you what I’d seen.
It felt like eating two meals at once and not tasting either.
The Myth of Multitasking
We like to think we can juggle. But neuroscience is clear: the brain doesn’t truly multitask. It switches—rapidly, and with a cost each time. That cost isn’t just efficiency. It’s depth. When you split your attention between two inputs, you shortchange both experiences.
You miss the details of the story you’re watching.
You don’t really absorb the article, message, or post you’re scrolling.
You end up with a fragmented memory of both.
Not Just Screens
This isn’t only about watching TV with your phone out. It’s about how we layer any input.
If I’m going to check something on my phone, I pause my podcast. Because even though there’s comfort in a voice running in the background, it meaningfully takes away from my ability to think. The words I’m reading and the words I’m hearing compete with each other. Neither lands fully.
The same is true when you try to “just have something on” while working, or when you put on a podcast to keep me company while scrolling. It feels like productivity—or companionship—but what it really does is crowd out thought.
Why It Matters
When we scatter our attention across multiple inputs, we train our brains to be restless—always half here and half elsewhere. That’s fine if your goal is background noise. But if your goal is enjoyment, connection, or even clear thinking, the divided-input habit undermines it.
Think about the difference between:
Watching a movie and feeling immersed in its world.
Watching a movie while half-reading headlines and then wondering why you don’t feel moved.
Listening to a podcast in silence, letting the ideas sink in.
“Listening” to a podcast while texting and realizing you have no idea what was just said.
One feels like nourishment. The other feels like empty calories.
A Simple Rule
So here’s my practice for this week: one input at a time.
If I’m watching something, the phone stays face-down, out of reach.
If I want to scroll, I pause the show.
If I’m reading, the podcast goes off.
If I want to think, I give myself silence.
It sounds almost childishly simple. But the effect is profound. Stories land more deeply. Conversations feel more real. Thinking feels less cloudy.
The Hidden Benefit
When you commit to one input at a time, you’re not just protecting your focus—you’re retraining your brain. You’re teaching it that it doesn’t need constant micro-stimulation. You’re reclaiming a little bit of patience, presence, and choice.
Practice for the week: Next time you’re tempted to double up—TV and phone, podcast and texts, reading and background chatter—pause. Ask yourself: What do I actually want to be doing right now? Pick one. Give it your full attention. Notice how much better it feels.