This is really interesting. How are you able to multitask so well? I can't hardly listen to a podcast and code at the same time, let alone play a game.
As the other response mentioned, at that point gaming was pretty habitual (and way more "thoughtless" than when I first started). I'd start up a game with a general plan and adjust mildly as needed, but in 4v4s it's basically 10-15 minutes of rushing an economy (which is pretty rote after a while) into massing up your army (which is pretty must just reflex APM of "select all barracks, queue up another marine/marauder in each; select all factories, queue up a few tanks/thors; select all starports, queue up a few medivacs/ravens") and then filling any empty space with random drops and harassment. I think there's a _lot_ more thought that goes into 1v1s since you're in a two-sided equilibrium and can't start losing much, but in 4v4s there's so much room for comebacks and throwing (and/or teams working together or not) that it doesn't matter nearly as much.
I couldn't listen to a podcast and code at the same time either, probably. If I'm listening to a podcast, I'm mentally trying to process it. If I'm coding, I'm mentally trying to plan/process what I've done. Any mental processing from one takes away from the other.
Podcasts, though, don't require any use of your hands. I actually feel guilty _just_ listening to podcasts (or similar) unless I'm also doing something like painting or paperwork that requires hands but not brainpower. I recognize it's kind of irrational, but it just feels like a waste of time and potential when I'm (probably) not going to live forever.
I think it's just a matter of recognizing what your potential inputs (seeing, hearing, touch, processing) and outputs (hands, voice, mental "caches" like outlines that you can context switch back into later) are and choosing activities to multitask that take advantage of the maximum amount of each without overlapping.
When something becomes habitual, it frees up the cognitive load for you to think about other things. I assume parent has played so much starcraft, that many of the routine aspects of the game such as bootstrapping a base, farming resources, and building a military has become engrained. Especially in 4v4's the risk of an enemy trying to pull an early cheese is so low, that the beginning of the game is basically almost always the same.
When I was playing Diablo II, I used to be able to complete the Secret Cow Level runs with a nova sorc almost by rote. I would often be thinking about other things, chatting with friends, calling into internet radio shows while doing this
