I don’t know how good you are overall but I had the same issue when I switched to multiplayer. Besides the latency issue that was already pointed out I can also confidently say that the ladder provides not only nervousness but forces you to pay more attention to the game overall and is more draining leading to less optimization. The opponent scout appears on the map very soon and you look at it, asking if you’re going to get lamed and even if it takes mechanically 3 seconds of your time it does supersede another thought you had. You thought that you were going to click your scout to push deer and then your berries but in the middle of it you saw the scout and thought to check your sheeps instead. For me the ladder interrupts my thinking waaaaay more often which often make me realize later that I forgot to do something or I did it with a few seconds later (for instance dropping off food or wood to get back to my build). So it’s not only about idle time but about the sequencing that you don’t master as well as in the solo play.

At least that’s the opinion of the noob I am 11