How to Stop the Multitasking Madness

Does this sound familiar?

You’re done with work.

The kids are done with school.

It’s that chaotic window between school and evening activities—snack time, homework time, dinner prep, and trying to breathe.

Dinner isn’t even started. Football practice starts in 40 minutes. A bill needs to be paid. One kid is talking to you about a school project crisis. Your stomach growls. Your head throbs.

You want to scream. But you hold it together. Until you don’t.

You snap.

Then you apologize.

And you ask yourself, what is wrong with me?

But deep down… you already know.

You’re not failing. You’re multitasking.

And it’s slowly draining your life.

Before we start…

It is completely OK if you struggle with constant multitasking!

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1. Recognize When Multitasking Takes Over

Multitasking doesn’t always look dramatic.

Sometimes, it’s opening a work email during dinner.

Sometimes, it’s listening to your child talk about their day while stirring sauce, checking WhatsApp, and unloading groceries.

If you often feel like you’re doing a hundred things but connecting with none—that’s your sign.

Ask yourself:

• Am I rushing through this moment?
• Am I truly present?
• Am I hearing people—or just reacting?

Start noticing how often multitasking sneaks into your day. Awareness is power.

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2. Understand Why It’s Draining You

Multitasking fragments your attention and overloads your brain.

It’s not faster. It’s not more efficient.

It leads to:

• Mental fatigue
• Memory problems
• Irritability and short fuse responses
• Disconnection from your body, food, children, and life

It also creates a constant sense of failure.

Because nothing ever feels fully done.

And you never feel fully in anything.

You are running your life like a browser with 37 tabs open—but no sound.

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3. Shift Your Mindset: Multitasking Is Not a Superpower

This is the cultural lie we’ve been fed:

That women—especially mothers—can do it all, all at once.

That juggling is heroic. That burnout is just a phase.

But multitasking is not a flex.

It’s not a badge of honor.

It’s a slow leak of your joy, energy, presence, and identity.

Let’s stop calling it a skill—and start calling it what it is:

A sign that we need to slow down, not speed up.

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4. The One-Focus Reset

Here’s your simple but radical reset: Do just one thing.

Set a timer for 20 minutes and focus on one task:

• Cook without phone distractions.
• Listen without solving or preparing your next response.
• Fold laundry while breathing and letting your mind rest.

Every time you catch yourself jumping to the next thing, gently come back.

This is the One-Focus Reset.

It’s not about doing less. It’s about being fully in what you’re doing now.

Multitasking stole your lunch.
It turned your one hour of possible peace into another performance.

Reclaim that time. Recover your presence.
Lunch That Loves You Back is a printable wellness ritual that helps you slow down, nourish your body, and anchor your day, without guilt, pressure, or perfection.

Because wellness doesn’t start with willpower. It starts with one real moment.

Related read:

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5. Real-Life Examples: How to Apply the One-Focus Reset

Here’s what this could look like in your actual life:

Scenario 1: Cooking & Kids

You’re standing over the stove, stirring dinner while your child tells you about their math test. You instinctively grab your phone, check the recipe again, or reply to a work message. Instead, stop. Look at your child. Stir. Listen. Just be there—stirring and listening. You don’t need to fix anything. You just need to show up fully.

Scenario 2: After-Work Chaos

You close your laptop at 5:58 p.m., but your brain is still in your inbox. You’re needed in 12 different directions. Instead of jumping straight into dinner, change into soft clothes. Wash your face. Light a candle. Then, face the night. Do one small reset action to signal to your body: work is over, I’m home now. You are allowed a transition—even if it’s 5 minutes.

Scenario 3: Homework Meltdown

One child is crying over homework. Another is asking you to find something lost. You feel your pulse rising. Your instinct? Try to fix both at once. The reset? Sit beside the crying child. One task. One moment. Just presence. “I’m here. We’ll figure this out.” Let the other wait. Teach them that your calm is more valuable than constant reaction.

Scenario 4: Bedtime Anxiety

The house is quiet, but your brain isn’t. You’re scrolling Pinterest while brushing your teeth, checking WhatsApp, and mentally planning tomorrow. Try this instead: put the phone down. Brush your teeth with full focus. Stretch gently. Breathe deeply. Then, go to bed without your phone. You don’t need to end the day with more tabs open. You need rest.

Scenario 5: Sunday Planning Spiral

You planned to enjoy a slow Sunday, but suddenly, you’re making a grocery list, checking work emails, folding laundry, answering questions, and prepping lunch—all at once. Try this reset: pick ONE. Grocery list. Finish it. Then, move to laundry. One block at a time. And pause between. The world won’t fall apart if you’re not doing five things. It will feel better.

Check out 26 Real-Life Hacks for Busy Moms for more ways to protect your peace when everything feels like an emergency.

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6. Transition Rituals to Replace Multitasking

Multitasking thrives in transition zones—after work, before bed, during dinner prep.

Replace it with a 5-minute ritual that anchors you:

• Change your outfit
• Do a 2-minute stretch
• Light a candle or play one favorite song
• Make tea and drink it while standing still
• Take 3 deep breaths with your hand on your chest

Need more ideas on how to unwind and relax after work? Try something from this list of 20 Activities to Relax and Enjoy.

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7. Delegate and Let Go of Control

Multitasking often comes from carrying everything yourself.

But you are not the only adult in the household.

You are not the only person in the world who can rinse dishes, pay bills, or pack bags.

Delegate one task—even if it’s small:

• Ask your partner to prep lunches
• Let your child fold socks
• Order groceries online
• Skip the vacuuming. It can wait.

Let something drop—so you don’t have to.

Learn how technology can help you not do everything alone in my post 9 Tech Hacks for a Better Work-Life Balance.

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8. What You Gain When You Focus

When you stop multitasking, here’s what returns to you:

• Peace
• Presence
• Patience
• Better connection with your kids
• Restored nervous system
• A sense of control, even if life is still full

You start to feel like yourself again.

Like someone living a life—not just managing one.

You may also like these tips for a more balanced life!!

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Congratulation! You didn’t do it all. You did one thing. And that changed everything.

You were never meant to run like a machine.

You were never meant to carry every detail of life in your head at once.

Multitasking was never the goal—being alive was.

So take this hack.

Try it just once today.

Put something down. Focus on one thing.

And notice how much more human you feel.

If this post spoke to you, send it to a friend who needs it too.

Let’s rewrite what balance looks like.

Happy breaking free from multitasking,

Mina