Multitasking is widely acknowledged to reduce productivity, but a lesser-known strain on efficiency comes from macro tasking, taking on multiple large projects at the same time.

As time management coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders explains in a Fast Company piece, macro tasking often leads to stalled progress and mental overload, especially when strategic planning and implementation collide across several complex efforts. 

The problem isn’t that these projects are impossible to juggle but rather that each one demands significant cognitive investment up front. Starting too many initiatives simultaneously can leave teams stuck in a perpetual initiation phase without the clarity or bandwidth to follow through. 

Saunders notes that even when delegation is possible,  it’s essential to leave time for review and decision-making. For those directly involved in executing the work, pacing becomes even more critical. Most people, she observes, can only meaningfully move two to three large projects forward at one. 

The takeaway is less about doing less and more about sequencing wisely. By staggering project launches and building space for closure, individuals and teams can avoid burnout and increase the likelihood of getting meaningful work over the finish line.