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Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change. 

For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult. 

As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly between things, which to be honest sounds quite stressful for a mere human brain. 

However, single tasking is really hard (I am trying to get better at it). Somehow I think it’s a reflection of the way society functions, where there’s constant activity and busyness, and an expectation to keep up. And I think it also mirrors the constant traffic most of us have in our minds, trying to process all the impressions and responsibilities pressed into a single day. 

Being forced to slow down has not been easy, and to be honest it’s been frustrating when I’ve realised I need to focus on one thing at the time. Still, I am beginning to believe it’s a good thing. Good because it slows down the pace of life, which so often is way too hectic. I like thinking about life following a rhythm, and when that rhythm is speeding up, it’s no wonder stress becomes the norm. Single tasking also enables you to be present in a much greater way, because you focus on one thing only, something that is especially lovely if you’re in a conversation with someone. How many of us haven’t felt distracted by a message lighting up our phone screen, calling for attention and trying to distract us from relating to the person we are with. Or even feeling like we are second in priority to something someone posted on the other person’s Facebook.

Still, it is so very hard. Not so much the exercise of trying to accomplish multiple things, but the habit and need to have several things going on at the same time. I am finding it hard to watch a film and not pick up my phone to check social media or play a round of Sudoku at the same time. Reading a book is often accompanied by the sound of the television churning in the background. And I’ve even acquired the bad habit of reading a book on my kindle app when walking somewhere (when it’s not raining). Even if I think I’m paying attention, it’s not totally safe focusing on my phone while navigating other pedestrians, bikes, and traffic. To be honest, finding how fractured my attention does become while walking (!!), strengthens my resolve to never pick up my phone while driving.

Having been in a sense “defeated by stress” (aka burnt out), I find there is a huge motivation to reduce stress and its triggers, and look to structuring life in a way that increases quality of life. And I think mastering the art of single-tasking is a part of that. I suspect that it might result in more than just less stress. Maybe I’ll find capacity to enjoy the present more, maybe relationships will go deeper and time with people might have greater quality, and maybe my brain will be rested enough to concentrate more sharply, and even dream and imagine more greatly.

And so I am setting myself the challenge of having an intentional “single-tasking September”. Both because I am curious if I am even able to reduce my multitasking, but mostly because I long to live life being more present, because I am worth it and so are the people around me.

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