Key points
- Using multiple devices at one time trains your brain to switch attention quickly, which can make it harder to focus, stay present, remember information, and feel mentally rested.
- Constantly using multiple devices simultaneously may leave your brain shifting back and forth between stimuli, instead of fully taking in either screen.
- Scrolling while watching a show keeps your brain in scanning mode, which can increase mental strain.
We have all done it: answering a text while watching TV, checking email during a meeting, scrolling while a podcast plays in the background. It can feel productive, harmless, or even necessary. But our brains experience this constant toggling very differently.
At WellPower, we know mental health is shaped by everyday rhythms, including how we use technology and how often our minds get space to rest. Splitting attention across multiple screens can quietly train our brains to constantly shift focus, leading to mental fatigue and decreased attention span over time. It can also leave us wondering why a “relaxing” night on the couch still feels draining.
While our devices help us access the tools we need for daily life, there can be pitfalls to constant information scanning. Let’s dive into why having all your phone, tv, and laptop all open at once may be more detrimental than you realize.
Your brain is not really multitasking
When we bounce between screens, our brains are usually not doing several complex things at once – instead, they’re rapidly switching from one task to another. Research summarized by Brown University Health notes that task switching taxes the brain, makes it less efficient, and can affect focus even when we are not actively multitasking.
A 2024 editorial in Annals of Medicine & Surgery also points to growing concern about digital multitasking and brain health, including links between frequent media multitasking and:
- Reduced cognitive control
- Greater distractibility
- Poorer working memory
- More difficulty filtering out irrelevant information.
In other words, the problem is not that you are bad at focusing. Many of us are simply training our brains to expect interruption.
“When we are using multiple devices at the same time, our attention span is becoming shorter as we are teaching our brain to switch from one thing to the next consistently throughout the day,” said Lindsey Guinn, MA, LPCC, mental health therapist at WellPower. “As a therapist, I see how this can make it harder to stay present, focus, and fully engage in the moment.”
Why does double- or triple-screening feel so exhausting?
Our devices offer a steady stream of notifications for news, messages, alerts, and more. Each one asks the brain to decide, “Is this important?” NPR recently described how digital habits, including media multitasking, can leave people feeling drained and overstimulated.
“Even as a mental health clinician, I also have multiple screens going or noise in the background,” said Hannah Seneczko, MS, CRC, LPC, program manager at WellPower. “There is so much content and so many resources that we get through screens, that it can be hard to distance ourselves, especially when quick access to information is part of our work or daily life.”
“Scanning mode” – when we’re constantly taking in information from multiple sources – can be useful in short bursts. But when it becomes the default, our brains may have fewer chances to practice sustained attention. We may become more comfortable with quick hits of information than with the deeper focus needed for reading, problem-solving, conversation, or rest.
This matters because mental rest is not the same as physical rest. You can be sitting on the couch and still have a brain that is working overtime. If the TV is on, your phone is in your hand, and your laptop is open, your mind may still be working on overdrive to sort the incoming information.
“In using multiple devices at once, we create a lot of mental strain,” Guinn said. “Our brains are constantly shifting attention, processing new information, and deciding what deserves our focus. Because of this, even when we’re physically resting, we can still feel mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, or more irritable than usual.”
What does this look like IRL (in real life)?
Fragmented attention can affect more than productivity. It can shape our connections with loved ones and how we show up organically in our daily lives. Our patience, focus, and attention span all depend on our brain’s ability to sustain one task for longer than a few minutes. When focus is repeatedly interrupted, even simple tasks can feel heavier than they should.
For many people, this can look like rereading the same sentence over and over, feeling restless during quiet moments, checking a phone without meaning to, or ending the day overstimulated but unsure why. Over time, those small moments can make the nervous system feel like it never fully powers down.
This does not mean screens are bad. Technology can do a world of good for our work, relationships, and ability to stay informed. The goal is not to reject our devices, but to use them in ways that support our well-being (instead of letting them set the pace for our attention).
A helpful first step is to notice your patterns without judgment. Do you watch TV with your phone in your hand? Check email while eating lunch? Let notifications pull you away from conversations, creative work, or rest? Awareness gives you a starting point for choosing small boundaries that fit your life.
What can you do to positively impact your long-term brain health?
The most helpful changes are often small, realistic, and repeatable. Instead of trying to overhaul your whole digital life, choose one moment each day to practice doing one thing at a time.
“We can start by taking small steps to do one thing at a time,” Guinn said. “This might mean putting our phones away during meals, while working, or when spending time with loved ones. Turning off unnecessary notifications can also help reduce distractions. Building in short device-free periods throughout the day gives our minds a chance to reset and helps us become more comfortable focusing on one thing at a time.”
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:
- Put your phone across the room for the first 10 minutes of focused work.
- Eat one meal without another screen nearby.
- Turn off nonessential notifications.
- Take a short walk instead of using your phone as a “break.”
- Charge your phone at night in a room that isn’t your bedroom.
For parents and caregivers, modeling this can matter, too. Children and teens learn a lot by watching how adults use technology. Small habits, like putting phones away during dinner or talking about why quiet time helps the brain, can create a household rhythm that supports connection and well-being.
Your attention is worth protecting
In a world designed to divide your focus, paying attention to one thing at a time can feel almost radical. It is also deeply human. When we protect our attention, we make more room for the organic moments that matter most: connection, rest, and mental revitalization.
“Finding ways to protect our attention is important,” said Seneczko. “At the end of the day, using multiple screens all day is exhausting. Our brains and mental health matter, and using ways to slow down and focus on one thing at a time can help all of us long-term.”
At WellPower, we believe mental well-being is built through care, connection, and practical choices that help people thrive. Sometimes, one of those choices is simple: focus on one thing at a time. Your attention is a resource to protect.
Want more support? We’re here to help.
WellPower provides mental health services for children, families, and adults across Denver, including therapy, psychiatry, peer support, suicide prevention, well-being classes, school-based support, crisis response, and connections to community resources. To get started with services with WellPower, call (303) 504-7700 or visit wellpower.org/appointment to learn more. For immediate crisis support, call or text 988 to reach the Colorado Mental Health Lifeline.
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