Devora Zack – Singletasking: Book Review & Audio Summary

Book Info

• Book name: Singletasking: Get Focused, Get More Done, and Get a Life
• Author: Devora Zack
• Genre: Self-Help & Personal Development
• Pages: 272
• Published Year: 2013
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Language: English

Audio Summary

Synopsis

In a world obsessed with doing more in less time, Devora Zack delivers a counterintuitive message: multitasking is killing your productivity, your focus, and potentially even you. Through compelling research and practical strategies, Singletasking challenges the myth that juggling multiple tasks makes us more efficient. Instead, Zack demonstrates how our brains are wired for focused attention on one task at a time. She reveals the hidden costs of divided attention—from dangerous distracted driving to diminished cognitive performance—and offers a roadmap to reclaim your focus, reduce stress, and achieve what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the “flow state.” This isn’t just another productivity book; it’s a call to fundamentally rethink how we work and live in an increasingly distracted world.

Key Takeaways

• Multitasking is a myth—our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, rapidly switching between tasks instead of truly doing them simultaneously
• Divided attention causes real harm: it increases stress hormones, shrinks gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, and contributes to thousands of preventable deaths annually
• Singletasking enables flow states where peak performance happens, allowing you to work faster and produce higher-quality results
• Awareness and environmental control are key—recognizing when your mind wanders and eliminating distractions creates space for deep focus
• The economic and personal costs of multitasking are staggering, with distracted driving alone costing $871 billion annually in the U.S.

My Summary

Why I Picked Up This Book

I’ll be honest—I grabbed Singletasking during one of those weeks where I felt like I was drowning in tasks. You know the feeling, right? Twenty browser tabs open, phone buzzing with notifications, trying to write an email while half-listening to a podcast. I thought I was being productive. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.

Devora Zack’s premise hit me like a bucket of cold water. What if everything we’ve been told about multitasking—that it’s a necessary skill in our fast-paced world—is completely wrong? As someone who runs Books4soul.com while juggling writing projects and, well, life, I needed to know if there was a better way.

The Multitasking Myth We’ve All Bought Into

Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth: multitasking doesn’t exist. Not in the way we think it does, anyway.

Zack opens with a statement that sounds almost alarmist: “Multitasking kills.” But she backs it up with sobering statistics. According to research from the American Automobile Association, about 67% of American drivers use their phones while driving. The result? Distracted driving is the second leading cause of car accidents after drunk driving, contributing to tens of thousands of deaths annually.

The economic impact is equally staggering—$871 billion per year in property damage, injuries, and loss of life. That’s not a typo. Nearly a trillion dollars because we can’t put our phones down while behind the wheel.

But here’s what really got me: Stanford neuroscientist Dr. E.L. Ophir’s research shows our brains simply aren’t wired to focus on multiple things simultaneously. What we call multitasking is actually rapid task-switching. And every time our brain makes that switch, we pay a performance penalty.

Think about it like this: imagine you’re reading a book, and every few sentences, someone interrupts you to ask a question about something completely unrelated. Then you have to find your place again and remember what you were reading about. That’s what we’re doing to our brains dozens of times per hour when we multitask.

What the Science Really Says

Zack dives deep into the neuroscience, and it’s fascinating stuff. When we try to juggle multiple tasks, our brain’s selective attention rapidly shifts between them. This switching isn’t seamless—it creates what researchers call “cognitive switching costs.”

A 2011 Harvard study examined the relationship between multitasking and academic performance, and the results were clear: divided attention significantly limits our cognitive functions, especially memory. Students who multitasked while studying performed worse on tests, retained less information, and needed more time to complete assignments.

But it gets worse. Chronic multitasking actually changes your brain structure. The constant overstimulation and stress cause the gray matter in your prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for complex thinking, decision-making, and impulse control—to shrink. We’re literally shrinking the part of our brain that makes us most human.

Plus, when you multitask, your brain releases cortisol, the stress hormone. This doesn’t just make you feel anxious; it actively impairs your ability to complete tasks effectively and damages neurons over time. It’s a vicious cycle: multitasking makes you stressed, stress makes you multitask less effectively, which makes you more stressed.

Our Evolutionary Wiring Wasn’t Built for This

Here’s something that really resonated with me: from an evolutionary perspective, multitasking makes zero sense.

Zack explains that our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived by being intensely present and focused. When you’re searching for food or watching for predators, you can’t afford to have your mind wandering. Missing the saber-tooth tiger in the bushes because you were thinking about tomorrow’s hunt? That’s how you become lunch instead of finding it.

Our brains evolved for alert, focused attention on immediate threats and opportunities. The ability to check Instagram while writing a report while listening to a podcast? That’s not an evolutionary advantage—it’s a modern affliction.

This perspective shift was huge for me. We’re not failing at multitasking because we’re not trying hard enough or because we need better systems. We’re failing because we’re fighting against millions of years of evolutionary programming.

The Power of Flow: When Singletasking Becomes Magic

Now for the good news: when you commit to doing one thing at a time, something remarkable happens. You can enter what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the “flow state.”

Zack illustrates this with the story of American soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard during the 2014 World Cup match between the United States and Belgium. Despite his team losing, Howard delivered a legendary performance with a record-breaking 16 saves. When asked about his incredible focus, Howard said that once the whistle blows, everything else disappears.

That’s flow. Complete immersion. Time seems to slow down or speed up. You’re not thinking about what you’re doing—you’re just doing it, effortlessly and expertly.

I’ve experienced this while writing. You know those sessions where you look up and three hours have passed, but it feels like thirty minutes? Where the words just flow and you’re not second-guessing every sentence? That’s singletasking at its finest.

The thing is, you can’t achieve flow while multitasking. Flow requires complete absorption in a single task. It’s the state where peak performance happens, where your best work emerges, where you’re simultaneously most productive and most fulfilled.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In our current digital landscape, the ability to focus deeply on one thing is becoming a superpower. Cal Newport calls it “deep work” in his book of the same name, and he argues it’s increasingly rare and therefore increasingly valuable.

Think about your own work. When do you produce your best results? I’m willing to bet it’s not during those frantic mornings when you’re responding to emails while on a conference call while trying to finish a presentation. It’s during those rare stretches of uninterrupted focus.

Zack’s argument isn’t just about productivity—though that’s certainly part of it. It’s about quality of life. When you’re constantly task-switching, you’re never fully present anywhere. You’re not really working, and you’re not really resting. You’re stuck in this exhausting middle ground of partial attention.

Practical Strategies for Becoming a Singletasker

Okay, so multitasking is bad. We get it. But how do you actually stop? This is where Zack gets practical, and I appreciated her realistic approach.

Developing Awareness

The first step is simply noticing when your mind wanders. We’ve all had that experience of meeting someone and immediately forgetting their name. Why? Because we weren’t fully present during the introduction. We were thinking about something else—what we’d say next, whether we looked okay, what time our next meeting was.

Zack emphasizes that thoughts will naturally drift—that’s normal and human. The key is gently guiding yourself back to the present task. It’s like meditation, really. You don’t beat yourself up when your mind wanders during meditation; you simply notice and return to your breath. Same principle here.

I’ve started doing this during conversations, and the difference is remarkable. Instead of planning my response while the other person is talking, I actually listen. Revolutionary, right? But it genuinely improves both my relationships and my ability to retain information.

Eliminating Distractions

Awareness is step one, but you also need to set yourself up for success by removing temptations. This means creating an environment conducive to focus.

For me, this looked like turning off all notifications on my phone except for calls from my family. It meant using website blockers during writing sessions. It meant—and this was hard—closing my email program instead of just minimizing it.

Zack suggests taking regular breaks when you feel overwhelmed. A short walk outside or a few minutes of meditation can reset your focus. This isn’t procrastination; it’s strategic recovery. Your brain needs rest to maintain peak performance.

One technique I’ve found helpful: the Pomodoro method, though Zack doesn’t specifically mention it. Work for 25 minutes on a single task, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer 15-30 minute break. This creates natural boundaries that make singletasking more manageable.

Applying Singletasking to Daily Life

Let’s get specific about how this plays out in real situations.

At Work

Instead of checking email constantly throughout the day, designate specific times for email. Maybe 9 AM, noon, and 4 PM. Outside those windows, your email is closed. Period.

When you’re in a meeting, be in the meeting. Close your laptop. Put your phone face-down (or better yet, in your bag). Actually listen to what people are saying instead of mentally drafting your next email.

For creative or analytical work, block out chunks of uninterrupted time. I’m talking 2-3 hours minimum. Let people know you’re unavailable during these windows unless there’s an emergency. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

In Relationships

This one hits close to home. How many times have you been “spending time” with your partner or kids while scrolling through your phone? You’re physically present but mentally absent.

Try this: when you’re with someone, be with them. Put your phone in another room. Make eye contact. Listen without planning your response. It sounds simple, but it’s transformative.

I started implementing “phone-free dinners” with my family, and the quality of our conversations improved dramatically. We actually talk now instead of sitting in companionable silence while staring at screens.

During Leisure Time

Even relaxation suffers from multitasking. Have you ever watched a movie while scrolling through social media, then realized you have no idea what happened in the plot? That’s not relaxation—that’s fragmented attention that leaves you feeling neither entertained nor rested.

When you read, just read. When you watch something, just watch. When you take a walk, leave your phone at home and actually experience your surroundings. Notice the trees, the sky, the way the air feels. This is what presence feels like.

For Personal Development

If you’re trying to learn something new—a language, an instrument, a skill—singletasking is non-negotiable. You cannot effectively learn while distracted. Your brain needs focused attention to form new neural pathways and consolidate memories.

Set up dedicated practice time where you do nothing but practice. No TV in the background, no checking your phone between exercises. Just you and the skill you’re developing.

In Digital Spaces

This is perhaps the hardest arena for singletasking. Our devices are designed to fragment our attention. Every app wants to notify you, to pull you back in, to keep you engaged.

Fight back. Use app timers. Enable “Do Not Disturb” mode liberally. Consider using a separate device for work and personal life if possible. Unsubscribe from email lists that don’t serve you. Unfollow social media accounts that don’t add value.

I’ve started using my phone in grayscale mode, and it’s remarkable how much less appealing the constant scrolling becomes when everything’s gray instead of colorfully attention-grabbing.

What Zack Gets Right

There’s a lot to love about Singletasking. First, Zack doesn’t just tell you multitasking is bad—she shows you with compelling research from neuroscience, psychology, and real-world examples. The book is well-researched without being academic or dry.

Second, her writing style is accessible and engaging. She uses stories and examples that make the concepts stick. The Tim Howard soccer story is one I’ve retold multiple times because it so perfectly illustrates flow state.

Third, she acknowledges that singletasking is hard. She doesn’t pretend you can just flip a switch and suddenly become a focused zen master. She offers practical, incremental strategies for building this skill over time.

Finally, the book addresses both the personal and societal costs of multitasking. It’s not just about your individual productivity—it’s about public safety, economic impact, and collective well-being. This broader perspective makes the argument more compelling.

Where the Book Could Go Deeper

That said, Singletasking isn’t perfect. Some readers might find the advice somewhat basic or obvious. If you’re already familiar with productivity literature or mindfulness practices, you might not find much that’s revolutionary here.

The book could also benefit from more specific, step-by-step protocols. While Zack offers general principles, I would have loved more concrete systems for implementing singletasking in different contexts—detailed workflows for different professions, for example.

Additionally, the book doesn’t deeply address the systemic and cultural factors that make multitasking feel necessary. Many workplaces actively discourage deep focus by demanding constant availability and rapid response times. Zack touches on this but doesn’t offer much guidance for navigating these structural challenges.

Finally, at 272 pages, the book sometimes feels a bit repetitive. The core message could probably be conveyed in fewer pages, which is ironic for a book about focusing on what’s essential.

How Singletasking Compares to Similar Books

If you’re interested in this topic, you might also want to check out Cal Newport’s “Deep Work,” which explores similar themes with a focus on knowledge workers. Newport goes deeper into the economic value of focused attention and offers more detailed strategies for cultivating deep work habits.

Another complementary read is “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, which focuses on identifying and prioritizing your most important task. While Zack focuses on how to work, Keller focuses on what to work on.

For the neuroscience angle, Daniel Goleman’s “Focus” provides a more comprehensive look at the science of attention. It’s denser and more academic than Singletasking but offers fascinating insights into how attention works.

What makes Zack’s book unique is its accessibility and its specific focus on the single-tasking versus multitasking dichotomy. It’s less about productivity systems and more about fundamentally changing your relationship with attention.

Questions Worth Pondering

As I finished Singletasking, a few questions stuck with me. How much of our multitasking habit is truly about efficiency, and how much is about avoiding discomfort? There’s something uncomfortable about sitting with a single task, especially if it’s challenging or boring. Multitasking gives us an escape hatch.

Also, how do we balance the ideal of singletasking with the real demands of modern work and life? I don’t have kids yet, but I imagine parents reading this might wonder how to singletask when you’re literally responsible for keeping small humans alive while also holding down a job and managing a household.

These aren’t criticisms of the book—they’re invitations for deeper reflection on how we implement these principles in our messy, complicated lives.

My Final Thoughts

Reading Singletasking was a wake-up call I didn’t know I needed. I’ve always prided myself on my ability to juggle multiple projects, but Zack’s book made me realize I was confusing busyness with effectiveness.

Since implementing her principles—imperfectly, I should add—I’ve noticed real changes. I finish projects faster. I retain information better. I feel less frazzled at the end of the day. Perhaps most importantly, I’m more present in my life instead of constantly half-attending to everything.

Is singletasking easy? Absolutely not. We live in a world designed to fragment our attention. But that’s exactly why it’s so valuable. In a landscape of constant distraction, the ability to focus deeply on one thing is increasingly rare and increasingly powerful.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or like you’re constantly busy but never actually accomplishing anything meaningful, give this book a shot. It might not revolutionize your life overnight, but it offers a compelling alternative to the multitasking madness we’ve all bought into.

I’d love to hear your experiences with singletasking. Have you tried focusing on one thing at a time? What challenges have you faced? What strategies have worked for you? Drop a comment below and let’s continue this conversation. After all, one of the best ways to deepen our understanding is to engage with others who are grappling with the same questions.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to doing one thing at a time—starting with finishing this article before moving on to the next task on your list.