Why Multitasking Gets Harder After 40 — and What to Do About It

And no, you’re not losing it — your brain’s just asking for something better.

There was a time when I wore multitasking like a cape.
Emails flying, dinner cooking, homework help, Slack pings, calendar reminders — I was the queen of juggling all the things. I used to pride myself on being able to do five things at once. And for a long time, I convinced myself I was doing them well.

But then came the dinner I burned.
The homework help that turned into snapping at my daughter.
The email I re-read later and thought, Did I even write that in English?

And that’s when it hit me: something had to give.

Your Brain Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Overbooked.

As we age, multitasking doesn’t just feel harder — it is.

Research shows that after 40, the brain’s prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for attention, memory, and decision-making — becomes less efficient at switching between tasks.

Our processing speed slows, meaning it takes longer to shift gears mentally. We’re not failing — our brains are asking for space to breathe.

And let’s be real: multitasking was never really “doing multiple things at once.”
It was just rapid task-switching dressed up as productivity. And that rapid switching?

It comes with a cost. Mental energy drains. Quality drops. Patience disappears.

Enter: The Penguin Problem

Here’s how I describe it:

Our brain is like a little iceberg ledge. Every task, idea, and commitment is a penguin standing on that ice.

But there’s only so much room.

Eventually, if too many show up, one slips off into the ocean. Goodbye, brilliant blog idea I had in the shower.

This used to happen to me all the time. I’d have a full concept mapped out in my head — then get distracted, try to switch gears, and suddenly it was gone.

I’d end up with a half-written idea and a full plate of frustration.

What I’ve Learned (The Hard Way)

That dinner/homework/email meltdown taught me something I didn’t want to admit: I was doing too much, all at once, and none of it well.

But instead of beating myself up (okay, after beating myself up a little), I made a shift.

I started communicating more:

I told my daughter, “I want to help you, but give me one minute so I don’t burn the food.”
I stopped answering work emails during homework time.
I admitted when I needed help or when I was reaching capacity.

And you know what? Everything didn’t fall apart.
In fact, things got better.

One Simple Shift: Ask Yourself This

Before diving into five tasks at once, I now pause and ask:

“Am I giving the best version of me to this moment?”

If the answer is no, then maybe it’s not the right time to multitask.

Because doing fewer things with more presence isn’t just a form of self-respect — it’s also respect for the people on the receiving end of those tasks.

Your family deserves more than burned meals.

Your coworkers deserve emails that make sense.

And you deserve peace of mind.