Wednesday Wellness Tool: Do One Thing At a Time

This is one of the most simple sounding exercises that I have ever experimented with, and tracked others' experiences with, and also one of the most profound.

We live in a very multitask-oriented world and many of us erroneously believe that multitasking is the best way to get things done. I won't get into how this is just not true, but check out this NPR episode on The Myth of Multitasking. I know that personally, I frequently fall into the multitasking trap, and it leaves me feeling dizzy and a having a sense of things semi-completed.

The tool, another goody introduced to me by Judith Lasater, is as it sounds, but I would recommend placing a time frame around it in order to track how it goes. Choose an hour, a day, or go all out and say a week, and try to do one thing at a time, particularly when other human beings are involved. 

What do I mean by this? If you are typing something and someone wants to talk to you, either finish what you are doing and attend to the person, or put the work aside, have your conversation, and then pick up where you left off. (A counter example would be trying to chat while staring at a screen, which we're all prone to doing).

If you are hanging out with a friend, save your text conversations for when you are done hanging out, as well as your email-checking, facebooking, and so forth.

Even when you are alone, if you are doing a chore and remember something else you have to do, finish doing your chore and move on to the next thing (if you think you'll forget, have a pen and paper handy to write a quick reminder). 

Try this on and see how this feels. How does it affect your interactions, your connectedness? Your sense of accomplishment and groundedness? If it feels good, wear it more often.