I have been
vindicated! I have said for a long time
that multi-tasking is not good for us. Long
ago, I prided myself on juggling tasks and thinking for others, etc. As the years went on, I realized I was losing
the ability to multi-task. Now I know
why.
In recent years,
we have been told how the brain begins to shut down. We can’t really focus on several things at
once – some even say that we can’t focus on more than one thing at a time. We
think we can, but our brain has already left the first task to focus on the
second one. We are going back and forth at best.
Admittedly, there are
various opinions and comments about this topic.
Some are saying that we can multi-task in a limited way – perhaps 2 tasks,
but not 3. (See links below for more
about the topic.)
We do too much and we
don’t focus enough. We are not “in the moment” very often.
It’s strange to say we
do too much, because a lot this multi-tasking prevents real accomplishment. We are busy, busy, busy but we could
accomplish more by focusing on one task and giving it our full attention. That
would also add quality to many of the things we do.
When our work or family
requires multiple thoughts and actions, we really are not focusing on all of
it at the same time. We focus on one or two things at one time. The remainder of the time, we are going back and forth. The “back and forth” can fool us.
The number of warnings
we see daily about our lifestyles affecting our concentration are overwhelming
– but many of them are true and we should pay attention.
First, we are
overwhelmed with stimuli; then we are overwhelmed by the warnings.
For years, we worried
about the effects of too much television on children. Now we have to worry
about many electronic devices – and the effects are bad for kids as well as
adults. We see that all the electronics
are not just distracting; they actually make it harder to focus even when we
have finished with the electronic device!
This increasing
inability to focus is a kind of “tech A.D.D.”
(I’m not criticizing people with a diagnosed medical condition. They don’t
easily have the choices we have.)
To revisit being “in the
moment,” I’ll return to the thought reflected in the title.
Flossing our teeth is a
good example. We *can* walk around or
leave the mirror and still floss our teeth but it won’t be as good. Try it and
you’ll see that, standing in front of the mirror and focusing on doing it
thoroughly and carefully is easier. If
we walk around and interrupt it to do something else with our hands, we don’t
really know if we have been thorough and we certainly aren’t as careful. (Never mind the issue of unsanitary hands...)
There is more to this
than being careful not to tear the gums or be thorough so we don’t miss a
spot. There is something else we need as
humans: a beginning, middle, and an
end. Too many of our tasks are ongoing.
We never experience that feeling of a job well done or even done at all! Flossing can end and be a job well done in a
very short time. We get a sense of satisfaction
from that experience.
Now apply the same
principle to your work, your reading, your studying, even your daydreaming.
I’ve rambled a bit to
cover different points I wanted to make but it’s hard to focus on so many
points at once. I had to, ahem, prove my
thesis.
Other reading:
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