Are You Really Here?

How often do you find yourself on your phone whilst doing something else or find yourself doing several things at once? This takes you out of the present moment and actually makes you less likely to do well any of the things you are tackling.

Research conducted at Stanford University shows that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. They also found that people who are regularly flooded with electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information or switch tasks as well as those who complete one task at a time. People who thought they were “naturals” at multitasking actually performed worse as they were unable to discard irrelevant information and they were slower at switching tasks.

The brain is only able to focus on one task at a time and trying to do more than one task reduces the efficiency of the brain for both tasks.

The University of Sussex found that multi-taskers had less brain density in the region responsible for empathy as well as emotional and cognitive control.

Furthermore, multitasking in social settings indicates low social and self-awareness, something that is important for getting on with others and useful in a work situation.

All this should put you off multitasking but the real loss is the loss to yourself of enjoying what you are doing. If you are walking your children to school then do so. Talk to them, point out things, engage with them. A lack of engagement will reduce your children’s communication skills as well as your own. Don’t reduce the time you have to build happy memories with them. They should not have to complete with an electronic device for your attention. Take the dog for a walk, but don’t take your phone. Enjoy the walk, look at the environment, relax and go with the flow. Try to concentrate fully on what you are doing or who you are with. There is little point in going to the theatre and spending your time gazing at your phone or switching it on in the interval. Turn it off, sit back and enjoy.

To be wholly immersed in an experience so that we forget what is going on around us is to experience “flow” coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow brings relaxation and satisfaction and is a very therapeutic experience. You may have experienced this for yourself if you have an absorbing hobby or interest, something that takes you out of yourself and totally immerses you in what you are doing. It can be as simple as reading a book or watching a film. These experiences are very good for us and allow us a “rest” from our everyday lives but cannot be achieved if we are always juggling what we do or thinking of the next task.

You are robbing yourself of enjoyment and fulfillment when you try to do too many things at once. Years ago, when you sat on the bus or train you would have time to gaze around, take in the environment, or maybe strike up conversation with others. Now we are isolating ourselves from others, our environment, and worst of all, our own experiences. We are sleepwalking through tasks not really paying attention to what it is we are doing and not fully enjoying anything.

If life is too busy, try delegating some tasks or cut down on the time you spend on your computer or phone. Not only will your family and friends thank you for this but you will benefit by feeling less frazzled and more engaged with your life.

You only have now. The past has gone and no one knows what the future will bring. Plant yourself firmly in your own life, today, and start to enjoy the day to day aspects of living and engaging well. Try it and claim back your life; these days will not come again.