An End to Multitasking

This year I want to do less multitasking. For my entire life I had multitasked like nobody’s business. I pride myself on being able to do more than one thing at a time and justify it by saying that I can get more done in an hour than if I just focused on one thing for 20 minutes.

But recently I read something from Lee from America’s December Intentions it said “Stop Multitasking. You are not a computer.”

That’s really stuck with me for the last few weeks. It’s been in the back of my mind at work, at the gym, when I am watching tv, cooking dinner, or having a meal or drinks with Nate. I try to jam so many things into a moment. I have my email up all the time and feel compelled to answer every single one the moment I get it. Texts and phone calls are the same way.

Everything must be done right now and I feel like it has been negatively impacted my headspace and productivity.

The thing is, I am totally in control of this. I have been doing it to myself.

I first started feeling this tug before I even saw that intention from Lee. I was in the gym and the second I put in my headphones, started a podcast, and began stretching. I got maybe 10 seconds into the podcast and I had to stop. It felt way too loud. I couldn’t focus on anything else so I ended up just lifting without my headphones in at all and honestly, I had a much better workout because of it.

In fact, my workout was so good I have stopped lifting with headphones all together. It’s helped me focus more on what I am doing and gives me a nice break from any digital stimulation. At any rate, that moment put me in exactly the right space to be receptive to the idea of being more conscious of my insane multitasking.

When I was at work, I started to notice how frequently I would get pulled away by this task or that email and it was torpedoing how much I could get done each day. I started to be more conscious of focusing on one thing at a time and I have already started to notice a measured difference in what I am able to get done in a day and the increased quality of my work.

It’s really hard to focus on just one thing any more. We have been trained to think we need constant distraction and stimulation in order to get through our day and that’s just not the case. It’s almost like we are afraid of sitting in silence, being with our thoughts or focusing on just one thing at a time.

This year, one of my biggest intentions for this year is to be more present and to stop multitasking so much. I need a break from trying to do five things at once and this is the year I take that break.