Multi-tasking is such an ingrained part of modern life that most of the time, we don’t even realise we’re doing it. When was the last time you talked to a friend on the phone without driving, walking, or checking your inbox as you spoke? Or watched TV without texting or scrolling through Facebook? According to a one survey, 79 per cent of us ‘double screen’ in the evenings, and 46 per cent regularly triple screen, using two devices while watching TV. And multi-tasking has become such as accepted part of working life that ‘ability to multi-task’ is even written into job adverts.

But it’s a myth that by multi-tasking we get more done. There’s no such thing as multi-tasking and when we think we’re doing several things at once, what’s actually happening is we’re switching back and forth from one task to another. It actually means you’ll take longer to complete those tasks than it would take if you focussed your attention on and completed each of them in turn. Like a computer with too many programmes open, it’s thought that multi-tasking simply overloads the prefrontal cortex, slowing down our ability to plan, prioritise, analyse and think creatively. One study even found that switching between tasks reduces our intellectual capabilities to that of an eight-year-old.

The brain is not built to do more than one thing at a time and neither is it designed to switch between tasks. Have you ever noticed that if you are walking while talking on your mobile phone and someone asks you a tough question, you stop moving while you think? You stop because you intuitively want to divert all your mental resources to your prefrontal cortex.

As well as being less productive, multi-tasking erodes our mental wellbeing. A small amount of dopamine (a feel-good neurotransmitter) is released when we switch, helping us to feel potent, effective and efficient. It’s partly why multi-tasking is so addictive, but it’s a vicious circle – too much dopamine leaves us feeling restless and distracted, so we find it even harder to focus. Overloading the prefrontal cortex can also trigger anxiety, caused by ‘mentally churning’ thoughts related to each task over and over again. Some experts even believe that the culture of multi-tasking has longer-lasting effects, reducing our creativity and ability to think deeply.

By contrast, when we solo-task, we’re more likely to experience the state of ‘flow’, when we’re so completely absorbed in what we’re doing that we lose track of time. We know that regular periods of flow improve your happiness levels. Solo-tasking also improves your power of concentration and your memory.

It’s unrealistic to eliminate all multi-tasking from your day, but what we can all do is introduce chunks of solo-tasking, where we focus solely on one task, whether that’s working on a report for work, chopping vegetables or simply watching TV. The more you solo-task, the more your ability to focus will improve. You can get a sense of fulfilment from doing even a mundane task if we give it our full attention. It’s time we stopped feeling guilty for devoting time and attention to doing something well.

The 6 secrets of successful solo-tasking

1 Find your ‘golden time’, the two or three hours in the day when you’re at our best – for many it’s first thing in the morning, but it could be later in the day if you’re not a natural lark. Commit to solo-tasking on your most important project for at least an hour during this period before tackling your to-do list.

2 Take proper breaks. According to Attention Restoration Theory (ART) the best way to refresh your mental focus is to take a short walk, preferably somewhere green like a park.

3 Use a kitchen timer. It’s easier to focus when we know our time is limited, so set a timer when you want to solo-task (up to 90 minutes, how long most people can concentrate without needing a break).

4 Bring back day-dreaming. When you’ve got ten minutes to wait for a train, resist the urge to fill it with checking your phone or reading the paper. Instead, do some people- or cloud-watching. Letting your mind wander in this way is called ‘involuntary attention’ and it’s thought that short bursts give the parts of the brain associated with ‘directed attention’ a chance to refresh.

5 Meditate before work. A short mindfulness exercise improves the brain’s ability to filter out distractions and focus for longer, according to research from the University of Washington. Try listening to an app like Headspace on your way to work.

6 Ban double screening.  A study from the University of Sussex found that an area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is smaller in people who regularly use more than one electronic device at the same time. The ACC regulates emotions and is involved in decision making, reasoning, impulse control and empathy.