Enjoy Your Life Tip for May - Stop Multitasking!
Ironically, I was out for a run this morning when I started thinking that I wanted to write about multitasking. I found myself mentally absorbed by what I might write, how I might phrase things – completely missing the beautiful shades of green, the babbling brook, and the bird songs. So I stopped. I laughed at myself for a minute and then shifted my focus to the present. I took a few breaths and looked around. I spent the rest of my run just running. Just absorbing the beauty around me. Fully engaging with the activity at hand.
How many exquisite details of life do we miss out on because we are “multitasking?” When we try to accomplish several things at once, we focus on nothing. Without true focus, is it any wonder when the end result of our efforts seems uninspired? Even worse, how many times have you spent time with someone you love and continued to check emails and texts, or even simply let your mind wander to other things?
Instead of multitasking, focus your energy on one task at a time and truly engage with the activity. Whether it is work or play, choose one activity today to immerse yourself in completely. When you find your mind wandering to other things, use your senses to bring you back to the present moment: savor the taste of your coffee, inhale the scent of freshly washed laundry, take off your shoes as you work and feel the texture of the carpet with our feet, listen deeply to someone’s words and enjoy the cadence of their voice without thinking of what you might say in response. If you devote your full attention and energy to one thing now and fully engage in the present moment, both your enjoyment of the experience and the end result of your efforts will be dramatically improved!