What happens when we multitask? Often in our society, multitasking is seen as a desirable skill. It says to employers “Look this person can do ALL the things and handle several projects at once.” We multitask throughout the day when we eat while on our phone, text/ or talk on the phone when driving or think about our problems while making dinner. In reality, we are doing the exact opposite of what we are told multitasking accomplishes.
When we multitask, we are not engaged mindfully in the present task at hand, but instead we are constantly shifting from multiple tasks at once and dividing our attention between them. This ends up creating more effort and energy to alternate between tasks and leaves us drained, not effective and actually creates more time.
Check yourself:
To test this, try a multitasking experiment. Sing the song “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (lyrics) once through and time yourself for how long it takes to complete one time through. Now time yourself while adding “and” after each word in the song (The (and) Itsy (and) Bitsy (and)…). See how easily that transitions from a fun children’s song to a complicated dialogue? How did that feel?
When we move through the world on autopilot, we often unconsciously lose the connection to the task at hand, which in turn creates more time and effort on our part. Sometimes we need autopilot behaviors, such as jumping out of the way from danger, but when we engage in autopilot behaviors on a constant basis throughout our day we disconnect from both our present reality and those around us.
How can we check in with ourselves?
We can build mindfulness into our day just as we would any other habit we want to create. Overtime these moments of mindfulness allows us to release the need for multitasking and instead check in with ourselves and our overall well-being.
- Pausing to focus on our breath
- Eating a meal or snack at the table (instead of standing in the kitchen or on our phone).
- Taking a shower or bath
- Washing our hands
- Taking a walk
- Washing dishes
- Drinking our morning coffee or tea
- While driving
What are other ways to create mindful moments throughout our day? Let me know in the comments your thoughts and how you are stepping into the present moment.