In one of the many letters he wrote to his son in the 1740s, Lord Chesterfield offered the following advice:
There is time enough for everything, in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once; but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.
Multitasking – That’s how we get things done, right?
We are prolific multitaskers.
That’s right, Multitasking is what most humans believe is absolutely necessary in order to maintain our homes, work, and family life. To do one thing at a time is out of the question. After all, we are actually very good at multitasking!
Or are we?
Picture it this way. If you throw one ball up into the air, generally you can catch it. Throw 2 balls up in the air, and now we are really having to figure out which one to catch, but with 2 hands, we can generally manage it. Now add 3, 4, 5 balls in the air – and well, most end up on the ground and our juggling (multitasking) is left to be a dismal failure. Unless you are a professional juggler, it didn’t work out very well.
Does this sound like you?
The same thing happens when you try to juggle many different aspects of your life at once. Does this sound familiar? Making dinner, while on the phone, while helping your child with their homework, while coordinating pick-up from sports?
Or you are on your computer at work when the phone rings and you answer it while still on the computer. The person on the phone asks about a file,and now you’re looking on your desk for that file and then, of course, you get a notification that an important email has arrived in your inbox.
End result – STRESS! Remember, that when all the apps are open on a computer, it runs slower. The same goes for us. Close some things down that you don’t have to do right now. These scenarios and other variations are what a number of my clients are dealing with. Why? Because they are suddenly experiencing anxiety, stress, brain fog (forgetfulness), and no “me” time — all as a result of multitasking! Basically, it leaves the multitasker in a state of exhaustion. 
And the worst part is, when the multitasker goes to bed, instead of falling into a good night’s sleep, they lay awake (or wake up) thinking about what they still ‘need’ to accomplish.
“Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.”
Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London Study funded by Hewlett-Packard in 2005
Just Google “Myths of Multitasking” and the Google gods will be very happy to send you a ton of information. So, what can we do about not only our innate feeling we can do more than one thing at a time, but also that it is expected of us? We have to begin to listen to that little voice inside us that says, “Stop, wait, this doesn’t feel good.”
It’s funny, we think that multitasking is part of being human, but actually think about a child – they never multitask, nor do they know the meaning of, “hurry up.” These are words and concepts we teach them because we forgot that doing one thing at a time, with intent and attention, actually feels good.
Try It!
* Wash your dishes with only your attention on the dish you are washing and rinsing. Notice the bubbles from the soap. Feel the soap between your fingers (gloved or not). Rub the dish and listen for the squeak. Notice the gleam of the clean dish as you put it in the drainer.
* Take a walk and listen to your feet on the ground. Listen to the birds singing. Listen for the sound of people enjoying life. Notice the trees, flowers, grass. Open your eyes and ears to the sounds of nature.
* If you are talking to a friend on the phone avoid the impulse to check your emails on the phone or look at Facebook. Instead, stay focused just on the conversation with your friend.
* And most importantly, take time for lazy! Lazy! It’s almost considered a swear word in our culture. There is no time in our busy, “to do” list life for Lazy. Or maybe what we are missing in our busy, busy lives is LAZY! Maybe Lazy isn’t a swear word. Maybe Mom was wrong when she told us to get off our lazy butt and do something. Maybe “lazy” is exactly what we need. In fact, RileyWiseHeart HIGHLY recommends some LAZY!
Do you struggle to just sit on the couch at the end of the day because there is still so much to do?
Do you find your work and its demands are becoming overwhelming?
Can you relate to the feeling of too many apps open in your head?
These struggles might be due to unresolved trauma or voices of other people (or society) who have told you that YOU have to do it ALL.
Please know you can stop the voice in your head. I’d love to help. Click below to schedule a time with me.
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