Multitasking is for schmucks!

I am one of the highest consumers of YouTube. In effect, I think somewhere, I am a slave of the algorithm. I keep going down the rabbit hole and discovering one piece of content after another. So much so that even while working, I would prefer to have a video playing. The result - the work I produce is subpar.

I delude myself into thinking that I multitask. Concentrate on my work and also listen to YouTube. I cannot, and I guess neither can most. I am no Superman. I am a normal human who can only be better than others when I outwork and outthink them. This requires concentration, deep concentration. Context switching robs the mind of trying to think beyond the obvious to uncover insights that hide behind the veil of ideas presented at the surface. To make a difference, we need to get to the fundamental, the elemental forces that drive the actions. They are not easy to decipher, and mastering them takes patience, concentration, and the will of a zen master. Multi-tasking robs one of this.

There have been times in my life when I have tried to multitask, believing that I am better than others and can do what masters before me have failed. I have failed every time. The times when I have succeeded are when I have accepted my shortcomings, accepted my mortality, and tried to play to my strengths while being aware of my weaknesses.

I have read somewhere that Elon Musk, who operates Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter and will now head DOGE, does not multitask. He concentrates on one task at a time, goes deep into it, and only then switches. I think that is the key. Go deep into one thing, and if you want a change, change fully and move on to the next. While most of us may not be able to handle as many things as Elon does, we can, however, learn to apply this principle to the few that we do.

Multi tasking is for schmucks! not even Elon does that!