2026: Rewiring my life for monotasking

My focus for 2026 is monotasking or “single‑tasking,” as it’s sometimes called. It sounds deceptively simple, but I know it will be a real challenge to shift toward a more intentional, focused way of approaching both big projects and everyday tasks. After all, those of us in the Western world have spent decades being told that multitasking is a virtue. This year, I’m trying to reverse that trend in my own life.

Like many people, I bought into the myth of multitasking. For most of my adult life, I’ve attempted to juggle multiple things at once with varying degrees of success. In recent years, though, I’ve made a few half-hearted attempts at monotasking, and I’ve noticed that I’m far more productive – and calmer – when I give my full attention to a single task. The trouble is that I often feel pressure from others’ expectations, and I end up jumping between tasks to meet demands that aren’t always aligned with my own priorities.

My 2026 focus is a commitment to monotasking

I’ve reached a point where multitasking no longer feels like a badge of honour. Instead, it feels like a quiet drain on my attention, energy, and sense of presence. I’ve spent years toggling between tabs, conversations, notifications, and half-formed thoughts, convincing myself that this constant switching was simply the rhythm of modern life. I’m at my worst with this in my professional life, but it spills into my personal life too. And while I’ve tried to slow down – tech-free days, time‑blocking, simplifying my task lists – those efforts have only taken me so far.

There was no grand epiphany behind this decision. It was more like a slow accumulation of small moments: checking my phone during a film I supposedly wanted to watch, skimming articles instead of reading them, and realising I couldn’t remember the last time I completed a task without interruption. None of these moments was dramatic, but together they were telling.

I began to see that multitasking had become my default, not because it made me better at anything, but because it was easy. It was easier to jump between tasks than to sit with the discomfort of focus. Easier to feel “busy” than to feel purposeful. Easier to scatter my attention than to risk the vulnerability of doing one thing with care. The more I noticed this pattern, the more I felt the cost of it. My mind felt constantly revved, as if idling in a high gear. Even simple tasks felt heavier because I was never fully in them. I was everywhere and nowhere at once.

Monotasking has emerged as a quiet counterpoint; a way to reclaim the calm I’ve been missing.

There’s also an element of self-preservation in this year’s theme. I feel as though I’m burning the candle at both ends and the middle, trying to fit my wants and needs around the wants and needs of others. And because I’m not the priority of others, the effort isn’t always reciprocated. This happens in both my personal and professional lives, and it’s time I start protecting my own needs with more intention.

Now, it’s time to make a deliberate shift.

To prepare for this shift, I’ve been keeping notes on my behaviours over the last few months. Paying attention to how I move through my days has helped me identify patterns and “weak points” in my routines. I plan to continue observing myself so I can make more deliberate choices about how I spend my time.

Monotasking, for me, will also involve reducing or eliminating sound distractions. I won’t write while watching a film, but I might crochet a repetitive pattern. I won’t listen to music with lyrics while reading, but soft instrumental music is fine. And sometimes, I’ll skip artificial sound entirely – just as I do when I run.

As with most of my annual themes, I’m not aiming for perfection. This isn’t a productivity makeover or a quest to squeeze more efficiency out of my day. It’s a shift in how I want to inhabit my time. I want to give my attention a single place to land and stay there long enough to feel grounded. I want to rediscover what it’s like to be fully present with one thing at a time: writing, cooking, walking, resting. Monotasking feels like a way back to myself.

By committing to monotasking, I’m hoping for three meaningful shifts in how I move through my days:

• More clarity. When I focus on one thing, my thinking feels cleaner and more coherent. Ideas connect more naturally. I want to cultivate that clarity rather than chase it in scattered bursts.
• More calm. Constant switching creates a subtle hum of stress, even when the tasks themselves are simple. I want to reduce that background noise and give my nervous system a chance to settle.
• More meaning. Depth comes from staying with something long enough to understand it. I want to rediscover that depth in everyday moments: reading without checking my phone, cooking without rushing, listening without planning my reply.

I’m not expecting perfection. Life will always involve some juggling. But I want monotasking to become my default rather than a rare exception.