There is truly something beautiful about attending to one thing and being fully present in it. Want to increase your creativity, energy, relationships, quality of projects and decrease stress levels? Limit your multitasking. This simply means, pay more attention to what you are doing.

What is single tasking? Simply put, it is completing one tasks at a time. Sounds easy, or does it? I spent a large majority of my life multi-tasking, “grinding” and going from one thing to the next to make ends meet, and at times not completing tasks to my full potential or being fully present during important moments. I have been guilty of allowing my attention to shift easily from one idea to the next. In life we survive however we can and at the time multi-tasking felt like the only option for me. Over the years personally and for clients, I have found that working on one thing at a time yields far greater results in relationships with others, creativity, mental stamina and SANITY! "Trying to force the brain to process multiple tasks at the same time causes the release of cortisol, which, if done chronically, can damage the memory area of the brain. This decline is manifested as problems with decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity." Jamesetta Newland.

How many of you pride yourself on multitasking? Do you have tons of tabs open on your phone or computer? Are you really getting things done or are you half assing it just to check it off the list? Are you working on something on the computer, paying bills, planning dinner and having a conversation with your kids or significant other “at the same time? How is this working for you? How does it feel? What you will find is that each of these things will go lacking in some way because we are not fully there. It would benefit us to complete one task at a time and be present in the moment so that we may better experience our lives and the people in it. Being present in the moment is also referred to as mindfulness, by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Father of Mindfulness.

We spend way too much time not truly paying attention to what we are doing because we are constantly thinking about what we have to do next, checking our phones, checking for others or consuming over selves with things out of our control.

A study conducted by Cockerman, et al found that when participants were given multiple tasks to complete their results were notably lower in accuracy and completion time was longer. Participants also expressed increased feelings of stress when multitasking. Stress is a normal body response however it should not be an ongoing theme in your life or the cause of being unproductive.

Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, Cognitive Neuroscientist and Chief Director of the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas suggests that multitasking drains and exhausts the mind, zapping it of it’s cognitive resources. She says that if we continue on this path we could likely be on our way to early mental decline and decreased sharpness.

In the age of entrepreneurship and mass internet exposure and access, are you taking advantage of the opportunity and getting things done, or is it taking a toll on you? Do a self check throughout the day to determine your productivity and stress level.

6 Helpful Single Tasking Exercises

1. Write down things you need to complete.

2. Before taking a full dose of social media in the mornings make a conscious effort to complete a few things. Maybe even give yourself a social media curfew. “Starve your distraction. Feed your focus.”

3. Complete one task or get to a place that you can before beginning something else.

4. When walking outdoors as you run errands or go about your daily life, put your phone away. Look around. Admire the trees, the sky, buildings, people, the air, notice your breath. Do what you set out to do. If it's grocery shop then focus on only that. If it's walking inside the post office focus on that.

5. Spend the first 15-20 minutes of your car ride with the radio off and talk to no one on the phone. Dedicate this time everyday.

6. While eating dinner at home or restaurant engage with the individuals with you instead of your phone.

Let's slow down and get things done.

Daphne Fuller, MA, LPC
Psychotherapist, Best Self Coach and Yoga Instructor

therapeuticandwellness.com

References:

1. Chapman S.B. Why single-tasking makes you smarter. Forbes. www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/05/08/why-single-tasking-makes-you-smarter/#6e6299301b5c

2. Lin, L., Cockerham, D., Chang, Z. et al. Tech Know Learn (2016) 21: 307. doi:10.1007/s10758-015-9266-4

3. Newland, Jamesetta. The art of single-tasking. Nurse Practicioner, (2016