This week I've decided to try something new - 'single-tasking'- and I can't believe how hard it really is. I've become so adept at multi-tasking, using all the space between jobs to do other jobs, that I've lost all the space, the quiet opportunity that waiting brings. The idea came to me from my meditation teacher. He talked about space and spaciousness, and how we rarely allow ourselves this space to just be here, now.
I know it's supposed to be more efficient to get many things done within a period of time, but if you consider the inefficiency of a cluttered, scattered mind, then I think multi-tasking may be serving a false end.
There are times when stopping a task part-way through to deal with the needs of a child, or a phone call or any one of a million other minor 'emergencies' is necessary. But not everything falls into the minor emergency category. I've been a super-multi-tasker and thought it was behind my success, I always stop mid-way through a job to do something else. But you know what - that only leaves lots of half-done jobs that need coming back to. And those half-done jobs weigh on my mind, loose ends I need to tidy up.
I start making a cup of tea and, while the kettle is boiling, I begin to unpack the dishwasher. Then the kettle finishes boiling so I stop unpacking the dishwasher and pour the water in the cup. Then, while the tea's drawing, I return to unpacking the dishwasher but I hear a crash and child crying somewhere, so I rush over to see what's going on. I pick up said toddler and kissed his sore elbow better and I notice the random toys scattered about that have been carried off and dumped throughout the hallway. So I pick them all up. Noticing more along the way. And I take them all to the toybox. Then I realise that my tea has over-drawn and is now too strong. I make another and this time, while the kettle is boiling, I tidy up more of the toys that are scattered about. The phone rings and I stop to answer it. Chatting away while I finish tidying toys and finishing making my cup of tea, I'm not really giving my full attention to the converstation. I finish the phone call and carry my cup of tea to the kitchen bench so I can check my emails while drinking it (the kids are quiet and I feel like this will be an oasis of quiet time). But while the computer is starting and my tea is still too hot I tidy up the miscellaney on the bench, making piles and carrying things to where they belong. Whilst putting something in my bedroom I see the washing basket and remember that I need to get a load of washing on. I gather washing from all three bedrooms and sort it into colours, blacks and whites. I put the first load on and, feeling satisfied that something has been done, I return to the kitchen and notice my cup of tea is too cold to enjoy. I pour it down the sink, sad that once again another cup of tea has gone cold. That happens too often. Later I remember that the dishwasher is only half-empy and make a mental note to get back to it. I also realise that I never had a cup of tea, or got to my emails, but now the washing needs hanging out.
Phew, I'm exhausted from just writing about all that but it's a fairly typical extract from my day. So, to bring a little peace to my inner-self, I'm trying to stop myself if I get the urge to move off and do another thing part-way through a job. And I can't believe how in-grained a habit it has become. It's like giving up a drug. I've even told myself that it's ok to just notice myself doing it at first and to step in when I've strengthened my single-tasking muscle. But when I do manage to single-task successfully, I realise that I'm calmer. My mind is easier. And the jobs still get done, one after the other.
And I just realised that I wrote this whole piece in one-sitting. Hooray for me.
