Single Tasking for Joy

Anytime I sit to write a blog I think about what’s most pressing and true in the moment. This time was no different…

As I began to brainstorm what to write about, “Single Tasking” kept coming to the surface. I’ve had several open loops open all day that have been driving me nuts. Now, the concept of “open loops” is something you may be able to infer but just in case you’re not familiar with it - I’ll explain…

Open Loops
An open loop, in its simplest form, means you have unfinished business. 

When working at home this could mean you heard the dryer beep indicating that you need to rush over to fold your clothes before they wrinkle. Open Loops could also be the anxiety of seeing unresponded texts from your phone. It could even be “living in the future” and thinking of things you need to do tomorrow, next week, and so on.

An open loop is literally anything that you still need to do that is keeping you from being present.

The point is, we all have open loops and so many of us try to act like we are masters at multitasking. We’re not. Multitasking doesn’t work - that is, if you want to produce the highest results.

The Reality of Multitasking
Have you ever talked on the phone as you walked your dog while sending a text to a friend at the same time? This is like multitasking 101 for most of us.

Let’s break it down though… We’re walking, we’re in conversation (both verbally with our mouth and physically with our fingers), and we need to pay attention for any threats to our dog. 

This is insanity! 

No wonder it’s so hard for us to sit in silent reflection (meditation). We’re conditioned to constantly be using our brains in a manner that doesn’t support critical thinking.

Let’s try an even more common basic example… you drive around with music or a podcast playing right?

Aren’t we supposed to be paying attention to things like … well, you know … the speed limit, cars/pedestrians, or anything else that may cause an accident, and - of course - where you’re going. 

That’s a lot to do while pondering concepts from a podcast or hearing the beats of some soulful tunes (and taking in the message of the lyrics). 

But, let’s be real… I’m not for a second suggesting you drive without music, a podcast, or any form of radio. That would be ludicrous to ask you to be alone in your thoughts while you drive.

Multitasking is part of our lives at this point. It just is. I’m not going to sit here and shame anyone for multitasking (especially when I know I’m guilty of it myself)! However, what we can do is take a more conscious approach to what we’re doing in the present moment. We can slow down by taking conscious deep breaths which allow us to be more present in our current environment. By doing this, we will be able to realize how often we subconsciously multitask. 

As you continue this practice, you’ll notice how much more present you are with your conversations and how the efficiency (and quality) of your work will go through the roof!

The Benefits of Slowing Down Through Single Tasking
If there’s one thing COVID-19 has taught a lot of us it’s that we live a fast-paced lifestyle. So many of us have started to slow down. At first, there may have been resistance to slowing down but I think most of us can agree that the benefits of slowing down have helped us be more connected with nature… Mother Earth if you will.

While multitasking does “get sh*t done”, it doesn’t necessarily equate to producing quality results. There’s a difference between completing a task and doing your best. 

I believe that as a society we have been too focused on output rather than input. 

With this in mind, I challenge you to look at the last time you know for sure you were multitasking more than you needed to be. Maybe it was in conversation, perhaps it was in your work, or even more likely it was a hybrid of both. Are you proud of the outcome? Did you have the deep connection and presence with that person you were communicating with? Were you able to truly create the work that you would be most proud of? 

Take a moment and reflect on this...

We all want to be heard… to be valued… to be seen. Oftentimes we multitask to get us closer to that “destination” of being validated (for whatever it is), but what if there was an easier way?

Let’s circle back to the example earlier of us being connected to nature…

The benefits of being connected with the outdoors are joy, purpose, clarity, and belonging to name a few. What if I told you that by simply shifting from multitasking to single tasking you would not only be more productive, but more efficient and enjoy things like joy and clarity more often... would you shift to single tasking?

Is it possible that the root cause of multitasking is to be valued? But, in reality all we need to feel valued is to slow down and find it within ourselves.

If this is true, what’s keeping us from truly slowing down to find value within? Is it possible that multitasking - the act of keeping the brain firing in a million directions at once - is one of the biggest culprits of us being too distracted to truly feel a sense of worth?

You know what I think.

So, I’ll leave you with this. For the next 24 hours, take a conscious breath before engaging with anything new. Try consciously breathing before your next call, try consciously breathing before preparing your food, try consciously breathing before you brush your teeth, try consciously breathing before you lay your head to rest at night. 

All you need to do to “consciously breathe” is take one deep, intentional breath. That’s it. 

You can do it. Will you though?

Breathe On,
Sam AKA SwagSam