The Art of Unlearning

// The Productivity Myth

I’ve always believed that working hard means doing a million things at once, ticking them off quickly as I go. I’ve taken pride in being able to juggle emails, meetings, tasks, and everything else all at the same time. If I’m not feeling overwhelmed, then surely I’m not working hard enough, right? The harder I work, the more productive I must be.

I remember an old boss of mine calling this a ‘busy fool’ mentality, but I clung to it. If I’m not constantly working hard, surely I’m slacking off and losing out on something important. If I’m not exhausted at the end of the day, I must be slipping somewhere.

But what if this whole belief was completely wrong?

What if, instead of multitasking, running myself ragged, and trying to do everything at once, I could be more productive by slowing down? What if not feeling overwhelmed wasn’t a sign that I’m slacking, but rather that I’m being more efficient? It’s a strange idea, but what if all this ‘doing more’ was actually draining me, and if I unlearned that habit, I’d be better off?

It’s worth considering - what if something you’ve been doing, with the best intentions, is actually harming your productivity?

Unlearning gives us the chance to replace ineffective habits with better ones, beginning with thinking more about the behaviours we’ve come to rely on. When we unlearn, we stop simply reacting to old patterns and instead make room for new strategies that align with our goals. This creates an opportunity for greater self-awareness, showing us where our actions are no longer serving us. By letting go of outdated methods, we create space for more effective alternatives that lead to better results.

Take my multitasking, for instance. If I unlearn the habit of spreading my focus ridiculously thin, I'm allowing myself to concentrate on one task at a time. This simple shift not only improves the quality of my work, but it also reduces the mental strain that comes from constantly switching gears.

// The Myth

As I said before, I’ve always believed that multitasking was the key to being productive - bouncing between emails, meetings, tasks, and everything in between. But recently, I've started to notice something.

I’d be constantly switching focus, feeling like I was getting a lot done, but I've noticed that I couldn’t seem to actually finish anything properly.

My to-do list was never getting shorter. Instead, it was just filled with half-completed tasks and most of those could be done swiftly and better if I actually just made the effort to switch off for a moment and concentrate. I was always in firefighting mode, doing lots of things quickly.

It's a bit like this blog really - when I started writing it over 18 months ago, I would bounce back and forth on it, doing it over several days to accomplish not a lot and I'd always end up finishing it on the Tuesday morning (wasting effectively three days worth of work) but when I switched to focusing on it all on one morning - being intentional, it became a thing which I focused on.

One of the clearest signs I was trapped in the multitasking cycle was how mentally drained I was beginning to feel at the end of the day.

I could say I was busy all day, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what I’d actually achieved. I was hopping from one task to another, only to find that nothing had my full attention and nothing was getting finished. If you’re someone who finds it hard to focus on just one thing at a time or feels mentally exhausted after a day of switching from task to task, it’s a good indication that multitasking has taken its toll.

// The Consequences of Clinging

I think this whole scenario recently has come about because of my last job - I was doing a lot of things and as I've written about before, I was burning out almost all the time - I was exhausted at the end of every day and my whole mindset was set on just 'doing more'.

As you know, I was being overworked in my previous job - doing two jobs at once and at first, I thought multitasking was a skill to be proud of, but it didn’t take long before I started seeing the consequences.

The constant task-switching wasn’t just exhausting; it was reducing my productivity and whilst I felt satisfied at the end of every day's work and despite my thinking that I was handling everything at once, in reality, I was doing everything poorly and everything was half finished - but this feeling of exhaustion persisted and slowly, over time, I came to identify that feeling with 'success' and 'doing work'.. so it continued.

I know now that when you juggle too many things at once, your attention is fractured, and the brain struggles to process multiple tasks efficiently but at the time, I was winning right?

I have to say, there was a time when I thought I could manage everything simultaneously - and I probably could but it's dependent on the workload and the output - being in that situation before, I also probably had the support network around me to deliver time and time again. When I stepped into my last role (the last 8-10 months) I think I had this belief that I was working hard and delivering - but in truth, it was just wearing me out and leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled potential.

I missed important details because I wasn’t giving anything my full focus, and I found myself putting out fires, but never really moving forward.

I've mentioned before too, I also started noticing my creativity taking a hit. Instead of diving deep into a project, I’d switch between them too quickly, never giving myself enough space to think things through. And that’s the problem with multitasking - it’s not just about dividing your time; it’s about dividing your focus. Studies have shown that multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%, and the constant switching can make us more prone to errors and stress. For me, that meant feeling overwhelmed but never truly accomplishing much - I've come to realise in the last few weeks that being stressed and overwhelmed doesn't actually mean I'm working hard, I'm actually working on too much at once and I need to slow down to be more productive.

Unlearning multitasking (and the feeling of overwhelm) was a game changer.

When I let go of the need to do everything at once, I found that focusing on one thing at a time actually made me more efficient. Of course, it took some time to adjust, but once I stopped trying to do it all, I realised I was doing more, and doing it better

// How to Unlearn What’s Holding You Back

The first step in unlearning something is recognising that it’s no longer serving you.

For me, unlearning multitasking came from a place of realising it was draining me without getting the results I wanted.

But this doesn’t have to be about multitasking for you - it could be anything you’re doing that’s causing frustration or stress, whether that’s unhealthy habits, negative thinking patterns, or outdated ways of working. Take a moment to reflect on your daily routines or thought processes: Are you clinging to something that’s actually making things harder, not easier? Do you find yourself stuck in cycles that leave you feeling mentally drained with little to show for your effort?

Ask yourself: What am I doing that’s no longer productive or beneficial? Is there something I’ve held onto because I’ve always done it this way, but it’s starting to take a toll? Recognising these patterns is the first step towards breaking free from the things that are keeping you stuck. It’s not about blame - it’s about becoming aware of what needs to change.

Once you’ve identified the patterns that need to be unlearned, the next step is to embrace more intentional and focused action.

If you’ve always believed that working harder means doing more, for example, it might be time to shift your thinking and realise that sometimes, less is more. One effective strategy that I've started to take on board is to break things down into manageable chunks. Instead of overwhelming myself with an entire list of tasks, I'm focusing on one thing at a time and doing it well.

Prioritising my tasks based on importance and urgency helps me focus on what truly matters - it's something I've unlearnt from my experience with my last job but learned from doing this blog weekly.

The fact that you've changed the way you do something helps build momentum and prevent burnout.

// Unlearning.

Unlearning isn’t about perfection - it’s about progress.

Unlearning opens up a new ecosystem in your brain which allows you to see things differently - the whole premise of focusing on one task at a time for me in the last few weeks has led me to make better, focused efforts in other areas of my life - I'm no longer trying to do everything at once.

I've started to introduce small changes and gradually, I'm building new habits - running is a prime example of this. I would haphazardly focus on my running and make grand plans, trying to set myself goals for the future which didn't really mean much in the short term but once I'd done that, I felt satisfied and never really focused on the actual running which again, sounds ridiculous but that's what I was doing.

Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. If your goal is to focus better, run more or be less reactive, I've started by dedicating a set period of time each day to something and giving it my full attention.

Remember that unlearning takes time, and it’s a process.

Begin with small, manageable changes and stick with them. Over time, your new habits will become ingrained, and you’ll feel the difference - whether it’s less stress, greater productivity, or improved mental clarity.

Focus is a skill that improves the more you practise it, so be kind to yourself as you navigate this shift. The goal isn’t to eliminate everything that might feel comfortable but to make room for better, more effective habits that lead to real change.

// The Lessons

Every online guru and every influencer on social media is screaming at you to learn more, take their course, do this and do that but I think the best way to do more and be better is to unlearn some of the things that we've taught ourselves and to optimise our lives.

Looking back, for me, it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking that more is always better. I used to think that if I wasn’t juggling a dozen things at once, I wasn’t really working. If I wasn’t feeling the strain, I assumed I wasn’t pushing myself enough. But actually, all I was doing was spinning my wheels. I was busy, yes, but not productive. I was overwhelmed, but not achieving anything meaningful.

It was only when I stopped chasing that feeling of exhaustion as a badge of honour and realised I needed to unlearn the constant state of busyness that things started to change. Letting go of multitasking, of thinking that I had to do it all, allowed me to start focusing more on the things that truly mattered. And, remarkably, the more I did this, the more I've started to achieve.

Unlearning isn’t easy, and it certainly isn’t quick. You’ll make mistakes, feel frustrated, and doubt yourself along the way. But real progress happens when you allow yourself the space to be still, to reflect, and to change your approach.

Whether it’s letting go of the need to be ‘busy’ all the time, releasing negative self-talk, running more or focusing less of being so emotional, every small shift matters.

In the last few weeks, I’ve come to realise that the habits we think are helping us are often the ones holding us back.

When I unlearned the ‘busy fool’ mentality, I discovered that I could accomplish more by doing less because I adopted what I'd learned in a different area of my life and applied it across areas I wasn't feeling happy. Thats where the premise and thought process of this blog came from - that perhaps, that’s the lesson for all of us: we need to stop measuring our success by how many things we can juggle at once, and start measuring it by how much intention and focus we can pour into the right things so we can achieve it in the way we want to.

So, what’s your next step? What do you need to unlearn in your life?