I’m stealing this word from a friend who heard it from another friend…so if you are out there other friend, thanks!
It’s no secret that we think multitasking is not just necessary to getting things done in life, it is just a part of how life is done. How often do you talk to a friend on the phone while driving, emptying the dishwasher, folding the laundry, checking email…the list could go on, but those are all the ones I’m willing to admit to. Between technology and the constructs of a society that says more is better—it must always be better to work at more than one thing at a time. But, is that really better? Are we really getting more done?
I recently mentioned that I have begun a trial work routine: Focus on one thing for a set amount of time and then when the time is up, move on to the next thing. It has been outrageously successful for almost a week! Not exactly a quantifiable research value, but still it has been working. The one beautiful outcome of this setting a time limit on my particular project and then moving on until it’s time to go back to that project, is a tremendous guilt free sensation! I do not feel guilty. Wow, worth the price of admission if you ask me.
If I spend the time on one thing, then it receives my undivided attention. Not the attention that sways to the side as I notice all those other piles that need addressing. It also provides a more sincere connection to whatever I have given my focused time. This is not just my projects—this is life. When I have coffee with a friend, a telephone conversation, a workout date, I am all in. I am all there. I know it is not a cure-all but it is worthy a try. Sure, there are those nagging things that bite at my heels desiring me to turn away and those pests will always be there. But wouldn’t it be nice to completely connect ourselves to the task, the conversation, the endeavor at hand fully knowing there really is time to get to the next thing? We become mono-taskers and multi enjoyers.