Mulit-tasking misconceptions
| Moving slower The last email I sent you was about how I have been moving more slowly. Taking moments throughout my day to pause, for just 30 seconds, felt like a revolution. If you missed it – you can check it out here. I have continued to take breaks throughout my day. A few minutes to look out the window. Waiting without looking at my phone after I order coffee at the corner cafe. Just sitting for a few breaths before I start the next email. What I have noticed is that these moments have a singular focus. I am just doing one thing. I made me wonder, where else do I do just one thing at a time and how does it feel. |
| Here’s what I’m findingThere are several activities throughout my day that have a singular focus. These all tend to be things that I really enjoy. In sessions with my clients, I am fully present. My phone is on do not disturb, and my email is closed. Nothing to pull my focus. At the gym, my phone is in my locker, and there is nothing to do except the next rep. When I’m on stage, there is nothing but me, the microphone, and the audience. My morning meditation, well, I can’t say my mind is always focused but that is the practice. You get the picture, right? These are all times when I have built the habit of having a singular focus and it feels really good to me. Where are the moments like this for you? The times when you are just doing one thing? How do they feel? |
| What happens when I multitask There are other times in my life when I am doing multiple things at once. Eating breakfast, while answering emails, while getting dressed for the day. The ability to be efficient with our time and maximize what we get done is a message that I see everywhere. Society really reinforces this idea and encourages us to do more in less time. I am starting to question this! What I am finding is that moments when I am multitasking, I feel chaotic. It comes with a feeling of overwhelm and distraction. Sometimes even anxiety about not being able to get it all done. Even when I am multitasking well, I still feel unsatisfied. I also tend to feel drained when I am spending big chunks of my day in this space. I feel like I am always behind, even when I get more done than when I do one thing at a time. So, I have been playing with doing less and doing one thing at a time. I am prioritizing. Deciding what is actually important for me to do and what can wait. This is new, so we shall see how it goes but I think I’m getting more done in a day when I do just one thing at a time. I feel better about what I get done. At the end of the day, I feel more accomplished. |
| Golden Nuggets: 1. Notice where you naturally have a singular focus. I find that the most meaningful parts of my day are activities where I have a single focus. Be that in connecting with someone else or focused on my own experience. Notice what activities naturally have a singular focus in your life and reflect on how you feel during those moments. 2. Pay attention to how you feel when you multitask. I find there is a chaotic energy when I am multitasking that does not feel good to me. Maybe it is the same for you and maybe it is different. Notice how you feel when you are juggling tasks. Notice in different moments and with different activities. 3. Make an intentional decision about your focus. We all have our own way to experiencing the world. Don’t hop to a singular focus more because that feels good for me. Don’t keep multitasking simply because it is what is expected from us. Spend the next week noticing how you feel in different moments and then make an intentional choice about what feels best for you. |
| One step at a time… We live in a complex world that creates a wide range of opportunities. There are moments when a singular focus is absolutely needed. My mom had hip replacement surgery last week, and I’m certain her surgeon had a singular focus when he was working on her. There are moments when multitasking is absolutely needed. I did a classroom observation this week and watched a teacher carry on a lesson about fractions while helping one student get a snack, and another student sharpen their pencil. The step I would like to offer you this week is to build the awareness of how you hold or divide your focus and how that supports you. My sharing of my experience about finding more moments of singular focus is to offer the possibility for you. Multitasking is talked about in so many placed and often celebrated. If it is beneficial for you, great! Keeping doing what you are doing. However, you may find having a singular focus can also bring gifts to your life. It may allow for connections with others to deepen. It may help you feel less anxious. It may open creativity or productivity in your life. Your small step is to know you have a choice of where you spend your attention. This week pay attention and see where you might want to create shifts, one small step at a time. |
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