Contrary to popular belief, neither female nor male brains can perform complex multitasking. Instead, the brain switches its focus from one activity to another, involving around 0.2 seconds between the activities where it is focusing on neither.
During this transition phase, the brain releases a small amount of dopamine, which is part of the reward system of the brain. This can often be the reason we find starting new tasks, new projects, or distracting procrastinations so much more appealing than focusing on a single task to completion.
Unfortunately, this dopamine hit, whilst mildly pleasurable, can distract from our longer term goals, our ability to focus, and our ability to regulate thoughts healthily. Fortunately for us, there are things we can do to help our minds think more effectively!
Understanding the nature of the mind is a good start, in this case practising exercises like mindfulness, and more formal meditation practices can increase our ability to focus and execute tasks efficiently, and even increase our productivity and creativity.*
