112. I’m Great at Multitasking - Yeah Right! - Leading Organizations That Matter

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: Leading Organizations That Matter

Host: Rey Spadoni
Episode: 112 – I’m Great at Multitasking – Yeah Right!
Date: June 9, 2026

Episode Overview

In this concise and insightful solo episode, host Rey Spadoni challenges the widely held belief that multitasking is a strength, especially in the context of today’s always-on, tech-driven work environments. With warmth, humor, and a touch of nostalgia, Rey examines how technology has shaped our attention and productivity, highlights the costs of constant multitasking, and offers a simple, practical antidote: "batching." The episode is a candid invitation for listeners—especially leaders in mission-driven and nonprofit organizations—to reclaim their attention, be more present, and push back against the cultural myth of multitasking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Technology’s Double-Edged Sword

The Evolution of Work Communication
Rey recounts his early career days, contrasting the “fax, overnight, or regular mail?” era to today's instant emailing.
"Today we just email a document and it's there in seconds. And here, at the dawn of the age of AI, things will only continue in this direction and at breakneck speed." (01:20)
The Irony of Connection
Modern technology promises connection, speed, and efficiency—but at a psychological cost.
"We're more connected, but also more lonely. We increasingly rely on AI tools, but are losing our ability to write and think at the same time." (02:00)

The Hidden Costs of Being “Always-On”

Screen Addiction & Splintered Attention
Rey candidly acknowledges his own screen habits, mirroring the attention challenges many face.
“Instead, I grab something that glows, stare into it, and completely lose the moment.” (02:55)
The Modern Workplace: Multitasking Norms
The expectation to stay productive—always—leads to chronic multitasking, like splitting attention during Zoom meetings.
“Let’s be completely honest. When you’re on a zoom meeting, don’t you also have emails up and browsers open so that you can fill the seemingly unproductive and boring gaps in the meeting with something productive?” (04:12)
- Rey points out this behavior is the result of deliberate industry efforts to foster screen addiction.

The Multitasking Fallacy

Why We Think We’re Good at Multitasking (But Aren’t)
Rey exposes the fundamental lie: “Our brains cannot simultaneously do two meaningful things at the exact same time. We shuffle between them. That's the falsehood. That's the lie. That's what we bought. It's time to unbuy it.” (09:14)
Productivity vs. Presence
While it feels productive to check off tasks mid-meeting, important moments and information are often missed.
“Maybe that guy said something important or that I really should remember, or maybe even asked me a question I didn’t hear because I was lost in being so darn productive.” (08:00)

A Pushback: The Art of Batching

What is Batching?
Rey advocates a return to the practice of setting aside time for focused work, noting that earlier generations would record ideas and tasks for later rather than attempting to do them all in real time.
“We had a pad of paper or a notebook, and we wrote things down for later. Then if we were disciplined, we returned to it. We returned to it when later came around, and then we did something with those items.” (10:32)
Benefits of Batching
Batching tasks allows us to be more present in the moment, reduces the temptation to multitask, and reintroduces discipline into our workflow.

The Cultural Backlash

Signs of Resistance
Rey observes trends like the resurgence of vinyl records, paper and pens, and even celebrities flaunting wired headphones as symbolic acts of digital resistance.
“Paper and pens have made a comeback. Film cameras are selling again. ... Celebrities are wearing wired earphones as a subtle statement against the corporate machine. It’s all backlash.” (07:00)
A Call to Action
He presents a clear choice: “Buy in or push back.” (13:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Personal Technology Use:
“I grab my phone way too often when I have a second to think, to breathe, to observe, to reflect. Instead, I grab something that glows, stare into it, and completely lose the moment.” (02:55)
On the Illusion of Multitasking:
“We’re good at shuffling, at bobbing back and forth between stimuli. Our brains cannot simultaneously do two meaningful things at the exact same time.” (09:14)
On Reclaiming Peace:
“Being present in the moment requires batching. And then with whatever batch we create, we need to set a time. Very intentionally, very specifically, time to process it. That takes practice, discipline, and commitment. But I believe it’s a good and important first step to reclaiming our peace.” (12:00)
On Industry Incentives:
“I don't think that there are a ton of people out there getting crazy rich selling pens and paper. The real money comes from electronics, code, subscriptions, hype, and myth.” (12:33)

Actionable Takeaways

Acknowledge that multitasking as we know it is largely a myth—true productivity requires focus.
Start “batching”: Write down tasks and ideas for later rather than acting on every impulse in the moment.
Be intentional about presence—turn off distractions and give your full attention to one complex task at a time.
Consider which “team” you want to be on: those who “buy in” to the always-on digital culture, or those who intentionally push back for personal and organizational well-being.

Important Timestamps

00:50 – Reflections on the evolution of workplace technology
02:00 – The upside and downside of modern connectivity
04:12 – Multitasking during meetings: the modern norm
07:00 – Signs of cultural backlash against technology addiction
09:14 – The reality of multitasking: brain science and myth
10:32 – Introducing batching as a counter-strategy
12:00 – The discipline of being present; practical steps to reclaim peace
13:05 – Final challenge: “Buy in or push back”

This episode is a thoughtful challenge to the cult of multitasking, offering leaders and listeners a practical and mindful approach to reclaiming their attention in a hyperconnected world.

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[00:00]
A
Foreign. Welcome to Leading Organizations that Matter, a podcast about leadership and how we find meaning and joy in our work and lives. I'm Ray Spadoni, and today's topic is I'm great at multitasking. Yeah, right. Technology has promised a lot. We can move faster, better, cheaper, and in a manner that connects us together in very powerful ways. You don't need me to tick through the list, but for instance, video conferencing has made the world a lot smaller. I interact with clients all around the country from the comforts of my home office. When I started in my career in the 1980s, my assistant would always ask me whenever I was working on a client deliverable do you want me to fax it, overnight it, or regular mail it? And we had to stop and think about that. Today we just email a document and it's there in seconds. And here, at the dawn of the age of AI, things will only continue in this direction and at breakneck speed. I could go on. It's a long list, but again, you don't need me to go through it. You already know, but I bet you also know about the backlash. There are a lot of experts with research to back their claims who talk about the downside to all of this. We're more connected, but also more lonely. We increasingly rely on AI tools, but are losing our ability to write and think at the same time. Anxiety is up, depression's up. Doom scrolling has given way to an increasing sense of actual doom among all of us, especially younger generations who grew up with all this. Screen addiction is real. I'll speak for myself on this point. I grab my phone way too often when I have a second to think, to breathe, to observe, to reflect. Instead, I grab something that glows, stare into it, and completely lose the moment. Yep, the experts are talking about all this. And you yes, the research is compelling. We've gained, but we've lost. And here's the rub. We all now multitask in ways that were not possible in the past. We need mental stimulation, and the boredom that comes from the lack of it is actually uncomfortable. Witness all the split screen viewing we now do. Broadcast news tells us the news, but also shows us through bottom, top and side scrolls of headlines. Restaurants have monitors scattered throughout so that those few painful seconds when we look up from our phones can be remedied by the basketball game or 18th hole putts. Let's be completely honest. When you're on a zoom meeting, don't you also have emails up and browsers open so that you can fill the seemingly unproductive and boring gaps in the meeting with something productive. We've all been trained to think and behave this way. We've been trained by those who benefit from our addictions. They, and you know who they are want us planted onto our screens. They and you know who they are tell us that we're more productive, connected and happier. They yeah, and you know who they are hire the best brains available to get us addicted. Video game manufacturers have been doing it for years. Social media platforms, same thing. YouTube is my Achilles heel. I'll jump on to watch a video on how to fix error code 41 on my Xerox printer, and before I know it, I'm watching videos of monkeys stealing food from tourists in a place called Jakku Temple in India or people falling off of skateboards in Central Park. The next thing I know is a half an hour went by and my printer still doesn't work. So what are we to do about this sort of thing? We have a choice to make. I guess you could say on the one hand, hey, this is progress, it's fine, and it's the future. And anybody who disagrees is, you know, destined to be locked in the past. Can't adapt. They'll be left behind and who wants that? Or we could say no. The backlash has begun. People are fighting back against the addiction, against the, you know who's. People are buying vinyl records again so that they are not constantly connected into the always listening streaming services. Paper and pens have made a comeback. Film cameras are selling again. Dumb, or at least dumbed down. Phones are being introduced. Celebrities are wearing wired earphones as a subtle statement against the corporate machine. It's all backlash. So in the midst of all this, I've been wondering, what can I do to push back to lessen the addiction to be, in a way, the runner who enters the room in the famous Apple Macintosh ad and who fires a rock up at the screen that has mesmerized and controlled the masses a LA George Orwell's 1984. What can I myself do? Well, here's a, I think simple suggestion. Start batching. Retrain your brain so that you become more present and in the moment. This is what I mean. Whenever a thought comes into my brain, I record it. Productivity experts say that that's really important. Act as quickly as possible on such items. Anything less would be to sweep it under the rug where it could get lost. So we record information down on our devices, we compile lists and we try to get stuff done, often simultaneously. This prompts the multitasking instinct that we have. We say, hey, I'm in a video meeting. I see that thing there on my screen. I have to do. I know I'll get it done. While that guy there is yammering on about nothing. Boom. Look at me. I'm awesome. I get stuff done. Of course, you have to step out of the moment to do that. And who knows? Maybe that guy said something important or that I really should remember, or maybe even asked me a question I didn't hear because I was lost in being so darn productive. I'm talking about intentionality, about being present, about being mindful, about shutting off. The part of us that actually believes, deep down, that we're good at multitasking, we're not. We're good at shuffling, at bobbing back and forth between stimuli. Our brains cannot simultaneously do two meaningful things at the exact same time. We can only do one meaningful thing while the rest of our brain, you know, makes sure that we respirate and pump blood to our organs and so forth. But two complex tasks cannot be done simultaneously. We shuffle between them. That's the falsehood. That's the lie. That's what we bought. It's time to unbuy it. If you're old enough, you may remember batching. We had a pad of paper or a notebook, and we wrote things down for later. Then if we were disciplined, we returned to it. We returned to it when later came around, and then we did something with those items. Sometimes we did something like called Brenda to tell her we need the breakdown report. Sometimes. Sometimes we recorded it so we could remember things like the Einstein quote, never memorize something that you can look up. Or we did something like journaled so that we might fully process and think through that thing. Like the time I wrote down. I should do a podcast episode on the topic of batching. I think that being present in the moment requires batching. And then with whatever batch we create, we need to set a time. Very intentionally, very specifically, time to process it. That takes practice, discipline, and commitment. But I believe it's a good and important first step to reclaiming our peace. I don't think that there are a ton of people out there getting crazy rich selling pens and paper. The real money comes from electronics, code, subscriptions, hype, and myth. Again, we have a choice. Buy in or push back. And I think it's worth considering which team you're on. Thanks for listening. Leaving a positive review and letting others know about this podcast will help a great deal. My mission is to help empower organizations that matter by supporting those who lead them. I offer coaching, mentoring and consulting services. You can learn more about me and my work@racepadoni.com. Sa.