a separate similar discussion for watching seasonal shows weekly/all-at-once exists here: https://anilist.co/forum/thread/669
Many factors decide what I watch at any given time, including my mood. Overall though, I'm usually watching anywhere from 8-15 airing anime (they are spread throughout the week after all), then my watching list is never-ending and continuing to grow day by day for finished series. (Please don't make me count them!)
Gods help me if I ever lose access to Anilist, I'd never be able to remember all the stuff I'm just starting through nearly finished with.
I'm usually watching a shit ton of shows, but I usually get bored really fast and it will end up in my "On Hold" list until further notice (Code Geass R2 stayed there for 2 years). It is specially hard for me if the anime is/was not been streamed by Netflix, Crunchyroll or Funimation, because I'm lazy af to download stuff. Last season I only followed ERASED, this season I'm following a lot more, but I'm only only up-to-date with three. I will try to catchup with the rest this week,
Personally, I try to start and anime and watch it till' the end, (If I like it.) but I usually end up picking up some other anime and watching that one before finishing the first one I started - if at all. With airing anime, I watch each episode when it airs. Sometimes I wait till' the episode updates bulk up, though.
I ALWAYS watch multiple animes at the same time, and when I say multiples I don't mean 3 or 4 \, I mean like 7 or 8. Some of them are still on air while others are already finished. I do that because I always change ideas from one day to another : I want to watch this and the next day I want to watch another thing.
Am I the only one here that is like that with animes ?
Even though I believe it would be better to commit to an anime, I just can't do it. However much I may enjoy a specific anime, l still always feel compelled to pick up other anime before the end of my previously watched. I believe I fear the end of any great anime series and hope to prolong their ending by diving into multiple. I guess It's apart of my attitude towards anything: Distracted.
Generally, I watch a few at the same time. It's a habit from the days where only having certain shows were available to me sometimes due to borrowing anime from libraries, plus it means if I'm not feeling one show at the moment but don't feel like dropping it either, I can easily ditch it and come back to it later (by setting it to paused or leaving it as watched, depending on the circumstances). Besides, it's almost impossible to be a person current with simulcasts who watches weekly and not be watching multiple anime at the same time (the only way it could happen is if you watch only one anime per season, which is highly inefficient for someone who watches, or is capable of watching, a lot of anime).
It is hypothetically possible to binge a show when you can also be said to be watching multiple anime at once - by watching backlog while simulcasts are happening or by watching one backlog anime while you have others set to watching on your list (both of which I've done), so I don't see why the categories are being treated as mutually exclusive in the question.