One thing at a time
You may have heard the buzz on the new book Brain Rules. Author and scientist John Medina scoured peer-reviewed brain research to distill some nuggets of knowledge palatable for the masses. One item that caught my eye was the fact that multi-tasking doesn’t work. When we think we are multi-tasking, we are merely “switch tasking” and it takes us time to get back on track (where was I?) Therefore, we aren’t any further ahead and, in fact, may be behind.
As a veteran multi-tasker (what mother isn’t?) I found myself chuckling derisively. Yeah, right, like we are truly only going to do one thing at a time. I would never get it all done! But on the other hand, I bristle at the students in my F2F classes who IM and shop and play games and adamantly insistent they can handle it all. Hmmmm, if in-depth discussion and test scores are any indication, it doesn’t appear that they can.
So what are we really missing? Are we really losing out by not truly focusing? For decades I have tried to quiet my mind by practicing meditation and trying to be in the moment. Yet, before I know it, I but get caught up in the frenzy. Serene moments are rare.
Today while taking a ride in the country, I stopped at an Amish home to buy some vegetables. It was quiet, no music or TV or video games. The children were sitting around a table outside shelling peas. They ranged in age from 5 to 12, all working, smiling, talking quietly. It was so peaceful, and I felt a stab of momentary envy at their simple life. No, I would not forsake my current lifestyle, but the sheer simplicity was compelling.
I made myself a deal—it’s okay to multi-task when doing lower-level cognitive tasks like household chores, but for one week I would not multi-task at meetings but give my full attention to the matter at hand. I would turn off email and phone and spend an hour writing each day. Sounds simple enough to only do one thing at a time, but oh, what a challenge. How do you handle the pressures to multi-task? Can you just say no?
