We are driven by the “do more, achieve more” hustle culture that has permeated our mindsets. However, grinding out task after task does not lead to personal fulfillment or happiness and neither does saturating every moment with as many inputs as possible. Like a computer, the more windows and processes you have open and running, the more memory you are using. The more “memory” you are using, the slower the execution of all your inputs with less detailed, slowly loading outputs. The myth of multitasking has been robbing us of two things – our efficiency and our enjoyment of life. The antidote is two-fold and simple – learn the art of single-tasking and focused acceptance.
If you want to be more efficient then work on one task at a time. Of course, we all have family members, friends, or emergent messages and tasks that will inevitably interrupt our flow. This is not what I am referring to. My recommendation is to set an intention prior to anything you are doing and become in-distractible during that task. For instance, write that proposal, make that presentation or finish your charts without browsing social media, checking slack, and tidying your desk simultaneously. There are so many tools that can help us but a few suggestions I can make are utilizing the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes focused work /5 rest or 50 minutes focused work/ 10 rest), turning off ALL notifications on your phone or putting your phone in another room, and utilizing the FREEDOM app that blocks all web distractions on all your devices simultaneously. When you work on one task at a time, uninterrupted, you are able to utilize creativity and inspiration to get into “flow” (aka the zone) and execute that task faster. Your brain is a beautiful processer but you can’t jam it up with 100 requests at once. Give it one question to mull over without distraction and the answer will come quickly and the solution will be simple and eloquent. You just need to give your brain the space it needs to deliver on your request. You deserve to achieve great things, but you are standing in your own way if you are not giving yourself blocks of focused time to single-task on the goals and projects that matter most.
You deserve more. You deserve a life where you can savor each thing you are doing with your full attention. The people around you, at work and in your home, also deserve your undivided attention. If you commit to spending an hour with your children then they truly deserve an hour of your full attention. Do you know how children spell love? T-I-M-E. If you are going for a walk then put down your phone and look at nature with awe and gratitude. At work, be the highly engaged and motivated person who is intently focused on your patient’s/client’s/coworker’s well-being and is present in the moment and always ready to help or be part of the solution. Be deeply engaged with life as it is. This is what I call – focused acceptance. It is understanding that you can not control what is happening in every single moment of your life so instead of wishing you could change it or that you were somewhere else, doing something else, fully embrace each moment as if you did choose it. I would find myself unable to enjoy the beautiful moments of life because I was obsessed with making each moment productive. This looked like cramming work in during family events or resenting park days with my children, mourning the time I could have spent cleaning or making some other forward progress on my to-do list. Until I realized how sad and meaningless a life like this is. What I had was a life filled with multitasking and a bank of memories filled with tasks instead of people and adventures I loved. We all deserve more. Be where you are. When it is time to work do so in a structured and efficient single-tasking manner. This will create even more time for you to appreciate the space between and cultivate the precious moments you cherish most. With a clear mind and purposeful intention, you will be fully present with the people and ideas you love. After all, isn’t this what life is all about?