Monotasking: The Forgotten Skill You (and I) Need to Re-Claim, ASAP
By Therese Walsh | February 3, 2015 |
photo by Ryan Ritchie
This isn’t an easy post to write, because I’ll need to admit to something that’s a little embarrassing. Lately, at times, it’s been difficult for me to read. Yep, read. Not because I’ve forgotten how or because I lack the desire to do so, but because my mind leaps to Else as soon as I begin reading anything lengthier than a Twitter or Facebook post, which, of course, includes novels.
Not good.
Just focus, I tell myself. And I do for a few graphs, and then I’m gone again, chasing a stray thought set off by something I’ve just read or imagined with some un-still part of my mind.
Is it ADD? I suspect not, as I can focus on other things and this seems a relatively new problem for me.
So what’s going on?
A 21st Century Problem
I had an interesting conversation with a friend last week. Let me preface this tale by saying my friend is a brilliant programmer who works at Microsoft. As we chatted with our group over dinner, he admitted that he’s recently had trouble focusing on long texts, including books. There are a few caveats. He can focus on audiobooks. (Same here.) And he focuses best when in an environment that’s somewhat noisy and bustling–like a Starbucks. (Likewise, I focus best while wearing headphones and listening to a background-noise app.)
We talked about how we both felt plagued by this weird new thing, and then it hit me. “We’ve become–had to become–professional multitaskers, and it’s almost as if we’ve retrained our brains,” I said. “Now we can’t focus for any length of time on one thing even when that’s our choice.”
He agreed. We respond to emails while on the phone. We look over our RSS Feeds while brushing our teeth. We make coffee with one hand while scrolling through our Twitter feed(s) with the other. We have eleven windows open at once online, for two or three or four projects. Often we have not only one screen before us, but two–phone and computer, phone and television, computer and iPad. And even when we are physically doing just one thing, our minds are often on something—or two, then three somethings—completely different. Because brains are adaptable, and this is what they’ve been taught, this is how we’ve programmed them to behave.
Our minds have become fragmented because we are living fragmented lives.
The Truth of the Fallacy
That conversation with my friend inspired me into research mode. What caused this thing that was happening to us? Was it common? And—most importantly—what might be done about it?
I’d heard that multitasking is a fallacy—that when we think we’re doing two things at once, we’re usually only doing one and not as well as we might believe–so I wasn’t surprised by the evidence found in support of that idea. But one study seemed particularly pertinent because, as mentioned, my friend works at Microsoft:
A classic 2007 study of Microsoft workers found that when they responded to email or instant messaging alerts, it took them, on average, nearly 10 minutes to deal with their inboxes or messages, and another 10-15 minutes to really get back into their original tasks. That means that a mere three distractions per hour can preclude you from getting anything else done.
Anyone else think three distractions per hour sounds like an easy hour? Anyone else look back on their day and often feel they have nothing to show for it? Anyone else think this might explain the monumental sense of accomplishment that follows when checking one thing off their to-do list?
Buckle up, because that’s just the first bump in DeludedtoDistractionville.
While reading, I noticed one finding repeatedly referenced–research out of the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London. From the Chicago Tribune:
“Researchers studied…workers at Hewlett-Packard and found that multitasking with electronic media caused a greater decrease in IQ than smoking pot or losing a night’s sleep.”
Lost IQ points. Great. I don’t know about you, but I need every point I have.
I dug a little more. Learned that the Hewlett-Packard study was never peer-reviewed, had a small subject group, and was widely misrepresented by the press. I was ready to happily reject the multitasking-kills-your-brain theory.
And then I found this.
A much larger study, published just a few months ago in an international, peer-reviewed online journal called PLOS ONE, found a significant negative correlation between media-multitasking and brain density in one part of the brain–the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved with impulse control, reward anticipation, and decision-making. What does that mean? A negative correlation means higher amounts of one variable (e.g. minutes of multitasking behavior) are strongly linked with lower amounts of another (e.g. brain density). Significant means the findings are unlikely to be explained by chance. Correlational studies like this don’t prove that one variable’s changes cause the other’s, by the way, but they’re important in the same way circumstantial evidence is important to a detective; following their trail can lead to stronger, causal evidence.
Back when I worked for Prevention magazine, there was a touchstone phrase we considered before deciding to print advice: Can’t hurt, might help. Vitamin B6 might alleviate your carpal tunnel pain, though doctors don’t entirely understand why. Can’t hurt, might help for you to try a vitamin B supplement, to see if you feel better. And while we can’t know yet the exact relationship between multitasking and reduced brain matter–if (a) multitasking makes for smaller brains, or (b) if small-minded people tend to multitask, or (c) if the research was flawed–we can ask questions, and we can act in a can’t hurt, might help way.
And I say why they hell not.
If multitasking does lead to anemic brain matter, what happens when you stop multitasking? What happens if you begin monotasking? Can you regain your lost grey matter, and become more productive–which suddenly feels like the least we have to worry about?
Is it too late, if the damage is done, to come back?
From Forbes magazine, “Recent studies show that if you can change the way you think, you can change the wiring in your brain to improve its function and health.”
Awesome. But how?
In a fit of not-remotely-ADD-like behavior, I gathered about twenty pages of notes on the subject. Learned about Attention Restoration Theory and the impact of dopamine and addiction in this equation, and why some forms of multitasking seem to be “safe” while others are not. Had a meditation revelation. Considered Stephen Covey’s time management strategies. Nodded my way though theories on bottom-up and top-down processing. Constructed a theory of my own.
And something happened while I did all of this, when I approached the problem from a new and broader point of view. My multitasking lessened. I felt more centered. I read a novel.
I added enlightenment to my growing list of potential strategies for combating a fragmented mind.
So in the spirit of enlightenment, and if there’s interest here in WUville, I’d like to write a series of posts about this subject–interview some experts, keep digging. See if I can find the location of that Lost & Found box–the one with the IQ points.
But first, some questions for you:
Are you plagued with an unsettleable mind? What is your experience? How long can you focus before you drift? What, if anything, helps you to stay on point?
If you’re a multitasker, which of these three statements do you identify with the most?
* I multitask because I’m good at it.
* I multitask because I can’t seem to shut it down.
* I multitask because I would be snowed under–Juno-style–if I didn’t do more than one thing at a time.
If none of this feels like it applies to you, feel free to comment about that too. What’s important for WU purposes is to get a sense of the pervasiveness of this situation so I know if this is a worthy topic to pursue.
Over to you.
NEXT IN SERIES:
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
I multitask because I can’t seem to shut it down. It’s so easy for my brain to just wander somewhere I didn’t want it to be, but off it goes, and I spend a crazy amount of time trying to rope it back into focus.
I’m especially intrigued by your comment:
“Learned about Attention Restoration Theory and the impact of dopamine and addiction in this equation, and why some forms of multitasking seem to be “safe” while others are not.”
I’d love to read more of these posts, and in particular how addicting behavior plays a part (sometimes opening my Facebook app seems like a hit) as well as what forms of multitasking seem to be safe (because let’s face it, I would be snowed under if I didn’t do it sometimes).
Thanks for the great article!
Therese, I do not appreciate your honesty. This is akin to telling the guy who slept on his front porch that he has a drinking problem. My name is Ron and I am a multitasking social media junkie.
{Hi Ron}
The real joke is that we are bombarded with the need for an online presence. We must build our platform via the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the new one that came out five minutes ago.
What we’re not told in advance of our downfall is that the subtstances used to build our platform is as addictive as that blue meth or even those cookies in the bakery section that contain about 50g of fat each.
When I participated in NaNoWriMo last year, I shut down all those distractions and found it fairly easy to hit the 50k with only an hour a day to write. Maybe it’s time to risk the platform and banish ourselves from the distractions. Maybe even turn off the cell phone (I know…shudder).
Great post, and it needs to be said. Please continue the series!
In my younger years, I could shut out the world (noise) and read a novel without thoughts of other agendas vying for attention. I only had television or some music to offer divergence, so there were fewer distractions demanding attention. My world changed, my ability or maybe desire to shut off the attention robbers increased while my concentration dwindled. Let’s see, what was I … oh yes. Now I have to make a conscious effort to complete a task. To accomplish that, I cut off the outside noise and set a timer for a specific amount so I can re-train my sub-conscious brain to hit the target. Gradually now I am returning to my former self. I can concentrate on a task, like writing or reading, for an hour without interruption from my wandering subconscious to the other tasks lodged somewhere inside wanting to be unlocked and let out. It’s difficult, but working.
Therese, I learned very early on (in grad school) that I do not multitask very well. I used to feel like the odd-man out, but then I realized that others didn’t either (they only claimed to). So while I took a jazz dance class twice a week and read literature in the evening hours (how dare I?) they were stuck reading the latest paper on some methodology involving spin states of atoms that even they didn’t care about while playing some arcane game on the computer. In fact, no one multitasks. We switch our attention to one task to another.
As a writer, I work on multiple projects in a month, but only one at any given moment. Usually 2-3/day. Novel writing is the most intense but sometimes I cannot give that kind of intensity when there’s a lot of kid-stuff going on, so I work on shorts.
The internet is my BIGGEST distraction. It’s the equivalent of the coffee break room … so I reward myself after I get some work done. Ahem, sometimes too often. Thanks for the series.
ETA: As a reader, I can get lost in a book. I stay up much too late reading in bed.
Great article and fascinating subject.
I am plagued by multitasking as well, but in two different forms.
At work, I have no choice. There is a continual bombardment of emails and changing priorities, which result in the ‘working hard and achieving nothing’ feeling. I have become better at this over many years, but still sometimes reach a limit and have to stop everything and write down what is in my mind at that time. The act of doing this not only means there is less chance of forgetting something, it is also has a cleansing feel to it which leads to greater clarity of thought. It actually feels as though I have recovered some intellectual horsepower by doing it.
At home, I do have a choice, and yet I am still distracted and try to fit too many things into my time. Over the last two or three years, the online world, FB in particular, has compounded this further. The odd thing is that most of the ‘distractions’ are things I want to do, such as writing, music, woodwork. I just feel the need to cram more in. It’s almost a feeling of running out of time. I’m pretty sure that this is a bleed over from work. So one is affecting the other.
I look forward to reading more.
Therese,
I suspect this post is not only going to resonate with the WU community, but go viral. You have described the 21st century brain.
Our children may (sadly) not know any differently, but I certainly remember a time when I could sit down and lose myself in a novel for a couple of hours without once thinking about checking my phone for texts or worrying about the e-mails I had yet to respond to.
I could listen to my little one prattle on about her day without my mind drifting to what my next Facebook status might be, or how badly I need to clean out my pantry, or, wait, a reminder just went off on my phone and…
“What did you say again, Sweetie?”
I am ashamed to admit I asked my little one that not once, but three times this morning.
Out of the last seven novels I’ve attempted to read, I could only finish three. I can’t remember the main character’s name, let alone the story, of one of them.
The only writing I’ve accomplished since my retreat in early December are blog posts, status updates, tweets, four short paid articles, and the outline for the rest of my novel. That sounds respectable until I admit (blushing now) that I suspect the reason I can’t focus on my manuscript is that my 21st century brain is resistant to remaining in a early 20th century mindset for more than a nanosecond.
This must change, but how? My head is filled with all this random noise and I’ve lost the ability to filter. I can not shut it off.
A series of posts on this would likely help a lot of people, including you. It took focus, after all, to write all those pages of notes. The ability to follow through on a task is still in you, is still in all of us. We just have to remember how to tap into that “old” part of our brains at will.
A million times yes to everything in your post, Therese, and another million times yes to everything in Kim’s comment.
I’m a recovering multi-tasker. A few years ago I realized that it was hurting me — hurting my ability to work productively, to enjoy leisure time, to everything — but it’s amazing how much we as a society have encouraged multi-tasking as a positive skill to have, and how hard it is to re-wire your brain after you’ve digested and incorporated that message into your lifestyle.
I’m working on it, but it’s definitely a process.
So far, one of my more successful strategies involves lists and breadcrumbs. Lists: I use my phone’s Reminders app to make a list of everything I need to do, and organizing and prioritizing them helps me to tackle them. Breadcrumbs: Sometimes, when I need to get a lot of little things done, but I don’t want to actually multi-task them, I will set up breadcrumbs that will remind me organically to tackle them. For example, leaving a laundry basket in the middle of the hallway, so that I can’t possibly forget about it, even if I can’t take care of it right that second.
This kind of thing works (though less effectively) on the computer, as well. I can open tabs and windows to save them for later (as I did with this post, lol, because I had to go walk my dog first). The only problem with screens is that usually they are connected to the internet, which is a veritable rabbit hole of additional distractions…
Anyway. Great topic. If there are people out there who can truly multi-task in a successful way, I really do applaud them, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t work for me, and now I’m trying to figure out what does.
Oh! One additional strategy: Anytime there is a distraction — like an alert from your phone, for example, or a new message blinking at you — try breathing through it. Teach your brain and your body not to respond like a dog to a command. Keep focused on your task at hand, until it’s done or you reach a solid stopping point, and THEN decide whether or not to address the distraction. The world will not fall apart if that email or tweet has to wait for a while.
I would love to see a plethora of posts on this subject. I multitassk because I can’t seem, to stop. Even though it frazzles me so easily. I’ve taken to doing two sessions a day of guided meditation and listening to more music, left nostril breathing, alongside supps for stress like b6 and niacin, etc. I definitely see a correlation between elevated anxiety and elevated multitasking. Which is why I’ve quit Facebook (again) and feel better for it, more spacious. Which doesn’t help with the forever drive to check my email, but one thing at a time
Yes, yes, yes! I’ve just been having the same conversation with a group of writer friends, and I can’t tell you how timely and excellent this post is.
I’d answer all of the above to your questions. I’m good at it, so I multitask more and more. Then I start to get snowed under by the sheer volume of insane tasks I’ve taken upon myself (nicely layered with non-tasks, but habits, like checking social media). Around and around we go, and then I can’t shut it down anymore. It takes huge effort to stop- and it’s not always about being connected to a screen.
I’ve made a similar observation that it’s hard to read a book at times these days. My mind skips like a broken record. Funnily enough, one of the times I’m able to concentrate more fully is when I’m driving. I *must* pay attention to the road, so my mind is focussed. And I find that if I shut down the radio and drive in silence, I’m much better able to direct my thoughts onto plotting and other writing matters that may otherwise get swamped by different tasks.
I am really interested to see further posts on this, for sure. I think it could be a life-changer for many of us if you can click on the right approaches to change.
Love this post, T. It has confirmed what I need to do — not that it has made it easier!
I multi-task because otherwise I’d be buried, but some of that avalanche is of my own making. And I’ve found that the more I do it, the easier it is to use those ’empty minutes’ by turning to my computer or app ‘just to check’ FB or twitter. It’s as if clutter of the brain begets more clutter.
Therese–
Bless you for this post. It’s hard to think of a subject more current or important than yours: the fragmentation of consciousness.
To keep it short and simple for everyone suffering from some non-clinical version of ADD, I’ll hone in on just one question in your article: “Is it too late, if the damage is done, to come back?”
Not in personal terms: you offer evidence that individuals can claw their way back to something resembling focused attention. But in cultural terms, the game seems to have been lost. Or won, if you’re a member of the digital Pied Piper brigade.
It’s very ironic: the technology that has liberated the creativity of so many is the same technology that is now eroding people’s ability to read anything longer or more complex than a banner ad. It’s so Bradburyian: eventually, you have a huddled remnant of eccentrics who still read actual books, surrounded by mental jitterbugs who spend their days jumping from one empty attention-getter to the next.
Not a happy prospect for someone who grew up loving books, and viewing reflection as a key attribute of adulthood. But I’m old and retired from the workplace. This means I can apply Nancy Reagan’s sex advice to teenagers: I can Just Say No, and settle back with my book. Either the one I’m reading, or writing.
Wonderful, timely post. I’m fighting the same task-switching habits and would love to hear more. I can still read novels, but I’m having trouble working on my WIP without stopping to check emails, Facebook posts, etc. I need to get my concentration back.
I multitask because I can’t seem to shut it down.
The jokes I’ve started telling about myself being ADD aren’t funny anymore. It has become worse at work, but I can still sit down and read a novel (if I’m enjoying it). So I have not lost that pleasure, I only seem to have lost the productivity.
I would appreciate a full series on this issue.
It’s certainly an important topic, and it’s brave of you to offer yourself up as an example, T. Great job digging in and finding your “center” (we’ve used that word quite a bit in the last month or so, haven’t we? I now better see why.) Just a tiny niggle in the back of my brain – I now feel like I’ve been guilty of being one of your persistent distractions. ;-)
Not that I’m not Pavlovian, or don’t feel the dopamine flow when I hear multiple notifications (I find it’s best to mute them because of this), but I there are a couple of things that I think help me a to keep my head from spinning like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
First (and this will sound prehistoric to some, and impossible to others): I have a desktop computer. In an office. It’s not portable. I work in there. I do other things, too. But when I don’t want to experience (I.I.D.) Internet Infringement Disorder, I leave the room. I would never read a novel in there. In fact, I’ve come to enjoy “the escape” from my office that reading a novel has come to represent.
Second: Meditation. A daily dose. Of course there’s still a distraction issue for the time I *am* in my office, and trying to get work done (as in, write, dammit!). Since my only real *job* outside of being a writer is to moderate the WU page, and that page is on FB, I set aside times to check. I’ve been pushing this to longer and longer intervals over the years (WUers are much better behaved these days – I think we’ve weeded out the majority of troublemakers and spammers over the years, thank goodness). But I’ve found that even as little as ten minutes, but usually more like twenty, with no buzzers or bings, in a dark room, with hat brim pulled down, just relaxing my mind and letting it flow toward my story world, works wonders. I usually come into proximity of my “center,” and often I come to some snippet of dialog or some story epiphany. Then I get up, go to the keyboard (no peeking at the internet) and start typing or taking notes longhand.
Not sure whether either of those will work for anyone else. But one wouldn’t have to have a clunky desktop (I do love mine, though). They could have a “place” where they leave their laptop – a place where they “work.” And I think a bit of “me-time” in the form of deep relaxation of the brain, even ten minutes a day, would be a balm for our entire culture. That’s it! National Mandatory Naptime! Let’s start a NMN campaign to fight IID!
Looking forward to the series! Here’s to finding our centers!
Meditation works wonders, and I was going to say something about it, but you summed it up well. 30 minutes every morning before I do anything else in my day helps me to focus my attention and focus on my priorities for the day.
I also have no problem regulating the amount of time I spend on the computer, whether it is social media or completing work projects. I will usually give myself blocks of time to complete things, and then stop when the time is up. I usually leave my laptop at work over the weekends so I won’t have the distraction. Whole weekends without a computer does wonders for your sanity.
Even though I think I have a pretty good handle on these topics, I would be interested in hearing about other strategies to increase my attention level (you can never have too much focus in my opinion).
Therese-
You can’t argue with science. Nor experience. Great post.
I am a binge worker. When I focus, I focus. I sort tasks into groups (say, contract vetting), dive in and don’t stop swimming until there’s no more pool.
The challenge for me is starting. My daily to-do list is vast and intimidating. The reward part is far off and there is a mountain climb to get there.
I give myself little rewards at the start, like good coffee and taking time to post a comment here. Then the day is not all work for distant rewards.
I find it difficult to start novels, too. That probably sounds odd coming from a literary agent who makes his living reading. Novels are a commitment, though. If poor they’re a frustration. If good they’re emotional which, while desired, is also draining.
Does anyone skip with a light heart to war, funerals, marriage counseling or an exorcism? Doubtful, and yet that is what we expect readers to do. It’s incumbent on us, then, to make that experience rewarding from page one to “the end”.
Maybe then it won’t be so difficult for readers to start. Failing that, we must fall back on science and mass behavior modification. I’m not sure I’m willing to wait for that. Too much else to do…
Don, I’ve been noticing this “hard to start” issue, too. I was thinking about “comfort reading” while I read T’s post. For the last couple of years I’ve been trying to limit my intake of epic fantasy to every third (or at least every other) book. I aspire to read widely, outside my genre. But I find the immersion, the total escapism, of the epic stuff to be such a powerful lure.
I recently finished the very last book in Robin Hobb’s backlist, and I’m having trouble starting a non-epic. It’s difficult to forge ahead into the mental illness and murder and so forth I’m finding in my TBR list. Not that they’re bad books. Interesting side-topic.
“Novels are a commitment, though. If poor they’re a frustration. If good they’re emotional which, while desired, is also draining.”
So, so true!
Ouch! This is why I’m trying to learn to write well … see you this week!
Please write more posts. Turn them into a book. This year I’m focusing my efforts on getting product to market (I’m an indie) and have set up a whole slew of counter-intuitive productivity systems that are working for me. I think you just supplied a missing piece: monotasking.
I might just spend a few minutes turning off all notifications on my computer and iPad. Notifications are a great way of training our brains to think that distractions are important. As my online profile inches higher, I’m getting more and more notifications in response to, say, my blog posts, and because that makes me feel important I’m likely to stop and respond. Whereas what I SHOULD be doing is saving my responses for a specific time of day, right? How can I both be responsive to people who want to interact with me and yet not let them distract me? I think this is a common problem for writers once they get out into the open waters of the internet, so can we work out a strategy to cope with this issue?
We should be clear on what we mean by multitasking (because, as a former lawyer, I’ve already lost too much IQ). The negative studies seem to be about “present moment” multi-tasking among different media. Like someone watching a computer monitor, answering email, talking on the phone and drawing a picture of his next project. Something like that.
I don’t think we need a study to understand how unproductive that is for each task.
Monotasking is the proposed solution. And I think that’s more of what we’re talking about as writers. IOW, some writers say they can only work on “one project at a time.” So they write their novel each day, and nothing else. These I would call monogamous monotaskers.
Other writers work on more than one project. Thus, they work on a novel. After a break, they might brainstorm on another project. Then they might type some words on a short story or novella. They probably have one MAIN project (e.g., the novel) but allow themselves time for others if they desire.
Isaac Asimov was of the latter variety. He’d pound at his SF novel in his NY apartment. After a stint he’d stand and stretch, then walk to another typewriter, where his non-fiction book on math or Shakespeare was going on. He would be a serial monotasker.
No brain damage should be associated with serial monotasking. In fact, the “boys in the basement” were working on Asimov’s math book while he was writing about robots. And vice versa.
This seems to me a crucial distinction in this discussion. Thanks for opening the barn door, Therese.
Another serial monotasker here. I like this terminology. Looking forward to seeing you this week.
By all means do more research and continue writing about this topic as a series.
Carol
I believe you. I’m a multiple tasker and it works like this: two mindless things, one important thinking thing. Like talking on phone while cleaning kitchen. I struggle to read as well. I also think multi tasking impedes creativity – the right brain activity. So it is very difficult for people who need to be organized and multi task to run a job or home (left brain activity) to switch it off. So the right brain needs to be stimulated regularly. Then when you factor in aging related things like memory retention, sleep disorders, exercise, general well being and health – well, it’s a challenge to maintain concentration. I would like some mental exercise suggestions to help improve concentration. Also, thanks for the b6 tip. I’ve been getting the tingling in my hands and arm esp while lol reading in bed. That sensation is also a concentration breaker. xo
Yes! Now what were the other questions? I was distracted … smile.
When I was a project manager with the Air Force, I learned to multi-task. I thrived in that environment, and I was very good at my job (modesty aside). My position required I be able to handle facts and detailed insights on a multitude of assignments – both mine and others – and to be able to step in to discuss, decide, and handle most any matter on any project at any given opportunity, many of which came unplanned or on someone else’s dime. If the head of engineering had a few moments, I’d better be at his desk if I wanted to resolve that thorny resource issue before Project X’s schedule was jeopardized.
It was exhilarating … and over time it wore me ragged. Still, it was a skill I counted on again and again through my professional career, even as I weaved myself into other jobs in other fields.
So I clearly “multi-task” because I am good at it … and because the pattern is ingrained.
All that changed while writing my first book, particularly the latter half and throughout the year of revisions. By choice I became a hermit of sorts, disappearing at times to remote areas of Virginia where I knew I’d have no access. True, the escapes, be they half a day or half a week, helped me feel closer to my characters and setting. But the real reason was a belief borne of fear / desire that I needed silence to find and to hear my own voice.
My struggle today, trying to settle into a new manuscript, is finding balance. This time I want to be able to read other novels as I write, something I avoided while crafting the first. I wish to engage both writers and readers as I create. And I want to build relationships with friends both old and new as I move forward on this bold – and still somewhat new – adventure.
But how does one do that? More specifically, how does one do all of that well while also twittering and blogging and “building the brand” we’ve all been told we need in order to succeed?
I honestly don’t know. But for me at least, I think it involves rethinking multi-tasking, the skill I thought I had pegged. Instead of trying to do all things at once, I am working at reprogramming my thinking so I can focus well on one thing at a time and then more seamlessly shift to another perhaps entirely different task requiring different skills. Thus far I have found that much easier to imagine than to do. So I would appreciate any discussion that assists in my attempts to manage the genie of multi-tasking, rather than have it control me.
I’ll relinquish the soap box now, though you did ask ;). Hugs, Theresa. I’ve finally begun The Moon Sisters, and am loving it thoroughly. More soon to you on that. Be well.
“Our minds have become fragmented because we are living fragmented lives.” Oh yeah, Therese. It’s all of us now, and your post is outing us, for sure!
Social media may be exacerbating it, but the distracted mind is a long standing issue for us. In your research, you may come across the Buddhist term for it: Monkey Mind. As in a monkey jumping excitedly from branch to branch.
The historical solution (and possibly still the best) is to focus the mind gradually through meditation, to the point where when we eat, we just eat, when we write, we just write, etc. The point being you are totally consumed in your current activity. Sounds great for a Zen monk during the Tang Dynasty, but does it pose some logistical difficulties for us? You bet.
This morning I woke to another 15 inches of snow to shovel, a presentation to prepare and deliver at work, the dogs shit all over the floor, my son puked on the couch, and I have to go to Boston for pre-op orientation before my hip replacement surgery next week.
Before I engaged in any of the above actions, I sat quietly and followed my breath in/out, in/out for 25 minutes It helps.
I loved reading your post
Oh wow, this explains a lot. Without a doubt I multitask these days because I can’t shut it down. I often bounce multiple tasks even when there isn’t a need. If there aren’t multiple tasks needing performed I’m prone to switching to a different task, which is the equivalent of interrupting myself. It’s frustrating. Music helps, and so does pressure, which is why I did better during NaNoWriMo.
I’d love to hear more on this topic! Indeed, I have found myself reading less, too.
But I’d also like to add a new option to check off re why I multitask: Because it’s fun.
It’s just plain fun to watch certain things on TV with Twitter open — more fun than watching whatever-it-is on its own. But then that becomes a habit and I do it even when it isn’t specifically fun.
What an awesome topic, Therese! Yes, very valuable indeed.
I am in the exact same boat; feeling like I’ve pitter-pattered my days away. For me, this is a new phenomenon, uncomfortable and foreboding, and one I haven’t been able to put a finger on until reading your post.
I’ve always been a focused, driven person, with very little interest in technology beyond the necessary, but since selling A Keeper’s Truth, my agent flogging GOT, and my friends insisting I ‘get with the times and buy a smartphone,’ I’ve watched my focus and drive slip away. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, emails, texts, websites…the endless barrage of distractions… Ah! What’s a girl to do??? :)
Denise (Dee) Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT
Just to note, I answered an email and three texts while writing this comment. Not a good sign. :)
Dee
So it turns out our mothers and our teachers were right: you can’t do your homework and watch TV at the same time!!!
When I need to reclaim my ability to focus I carve out time to read novels. Big, heavy, weighty novels in long chunks of time. It’s an almost instant cure.
I’ve also spend the past couple of weeks focusing purely on one fiction piece every morning, relegating everything else to that point later in the day when my fiction brain has turned off. It has been remarkable. I have made more progress than I had for months.
FOCUS, people! It’s not a dirty word :)
Oh, this is such a fascinating post. I’ve been running away of late from the voices infiltrating my head. Not voices, as in Joan of Arc mystic, (these voices are not productive enough to defeat my own growing unfocused sense of being overwhelmed, let alone the British army) but the discordant voices of an over onslaught of multi-media.
My day job requires rapid and ongoing multi-tasking. I work in a busy department of internet ordering and fulfilling. It’s a never-ending cycle of demand and supply, the computer ringing with orders, the phone ringing with the customers who placed those orders… It’s a game of keep up that never gets caught up.
I also own a fancy cell phone, so that along with of all the professional ring and bing that the day job requires, up until a few weeks ago I kept up with the personal bing and ring of my email, my text messages, and my FB notifications. Because I’m a busy, modern, do-it-all aspiring novelist, I even took my lunch breaks in my car, so that I could use that limited time to pull out my laptop and “work on my novel”. After lunch, I’d go back on the job of bing and ring, and then after that I would drive home, listening to my personally programmed satellite radio… all so that I could feel inspired by my hand selected music to “work some more on the novel” when I got home.
Except… I started to notice I wasn’t really getting much done with the novel… not in the deep, all absorbing way the work required. My mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t focus, there were other voices inside my head, the rings and bings of the outside world were with me, constantly.
And, it’s easier to hop on FB and talk to my friends about my novel when I’m stuck… because if I’m talking about it… but then talking isn’t the same as doing… okay… I’m over-absorbed by multimedia… I have to come up with some solutions… solutions that work for me…
I don’t listen to the radio in my car on my way back and forth to work anymore. In the relative silence of the drive, I find a measure of personal space.
I don’t work on my novel during the fast and fleeting minutes of my lunch break. Instead, I sit in the cocoon of my car, my cell phone turned off, sip on a cup of coffee, eat a sandwich and allow myself to, just be. I’m amazed at how re-energizing my “just be” time can be.
Recently, I’ve given up Facebook too, I don’t have a lot of personal time, and I found I was compensating for the stress of my workday by hanging out on FB. Yeah, so I gave FB up. But it was not easy. The first few days after I deactivated my account, I found myself going through major withdrawals. I reacted by surfing and shopping on the web. I’ve had a bunch of packages, with a bunch of items I don’t need delivered to my door of late.
But the bings and rings that have overwhelmed my life are gradually growing fainter, and far less distracting.
It’s true, I don’t know what any of my friends have been up to the very minute they’re up to it, and I didn’t celebrate my birthday with virtual well wishes this year… But I’ve got a new short story down on virtual paper, one that I actually conceived during the quiet time on the rides to and from work when I’m radio silent and alone with my thoughts.
I’m slowly regaining my focus, and with it parts of my soul, the introspective parts that were curled up into a comatose ball overwhelmed by the multimedia over-onslaught that is an ongoing effect of daily modern life.
I’m not an internet hermit by any means. I read articles on the web, and eBooks, and I keep up with this blog. I find an early morning check-in of the WU Blog is a write-affirming start to my day. A lot of good stuff here.
And… as the outside voices slowly die down in my head, I find my novel is speaking again… and I think I perhaps I’m finally gaining the focus I need…
Amen, of course. This *absolutely* needs to go viral.
But here’s a question to put in the mix: is there a connection between multitask-addiction and writing? I’m thinking of Thomas Mann’s marvelous insight, that writing’s actually harder for writers than other people, and how it makes sense since we’re training ourselves to improve hundreds of things that others let slide.
So, is it possible that writing’s such a multifaceted job that it *attracts* people with multitask issues, or that holding all the aspects of a story together frazzles us in the rest of our lives? It might mean asking for insight from people (or trying an experiment with), about how much “monotasking” they do and how well it worked when:
* they compare to people who don’t write
* they compare to themselves before they became writers (or in long stretches away from writing)
* they try less multitasking as they write
* they try different environments (do we need that slightly-distracting Starbucks?) or work methods– both for “just” writing itself and all the crazy promotion and business tied to being a writer.
I want my IQ points back too. But I’d like to know just when they disappeared, and just which parts of being a writer are worst for them.
I know the theories behind multitasking, but I still do it all the time, both at work and at home. I’ve noticed it’s been harder to read over the last few years, but I think I’ve managed to turn it around again – at least somewhat. I don’t get immersed that easily anymore, not for lengths of time. The positive side of this is that I can take breaks away from computer games/TV-series/long books and do other stuff without feeling deprived.
Often my multitasking is a form of physical restlessness: I have to do something with my hands while I watch/listen. So I
– knit/crochet while watching TV/read on the tablet/listen to lectures/audiobooks
– play games on my tablet while watching TV/listen to audiobooks
– draw in meetings/on lectures
If I’m reading an actual, physical book and have nowhere else to put my hands, I drum on the cover, change position on the sofa every other minute, tap my feet, etc. etc.
I think my moment of glory was when I was listening to a seminar leader, taking meeting notes, researching something online AND finished a lesson plan in the same meeting. Thing is, I don’t pay MORE attention to e.g. seminar leaders if I just sit there and listen – I fall asleep instead.
Distraction is the worst, though. I’m so easily distracted it takes nothing to take me away from what I’m working on. When I’m writing, I have to deny myself looking things up, because I know it will end in my reading mile-long articles in the deepest caverns of the internet. Instead, I make a quick note of everything I have to check out later and move on. If the phone rings or I get a message/something happens on social media, I try not to check it right away. If you leave it for five minutes, it is surprisingly easy to leave it for thirty more. We’ve been so conditioned by the plinging noises of our phones wanting our attention IMMEDIATELY that we have to work really hard to stretch out the time between its beeping and our reaction to it. The hand reaches for the phone before it’s stopped vibrating.
For me, direct experience is more compelling than some of the supposedly scientific studies I’ve seen. True multi-tasking means doing more than one thing at a time – really doing them simultaneously, not just rapidly shifting your focus back and forth from one area to another. And I submit that this is something very few people do.
I know, because I’ve earned a living for decades as a true multitasker – playing drums professionally. Drumming requires each of your four limbs to do something different – usually directly related, but sometimes not. And many drummers also sing while they play: task number five. It’s essentially like rubbing your belly while patting your head – while riding a unicycle and whistling.
I’m good at this (well, not so much with the unicycle), because I devoted years of my life to practicing and improving my simultaneous control of all my limbs. But that level of divided-but-simultaneous focus and execution is something I rarely – if ever – see, outside of some impressive church organists, or some really good breakdancers.
Instead, I see people who *tell* themselves – and the rest of the world – that they are really good multitaskers. One of my corporate bosses falls in this category, always on a computer, a handheld device, and her phone at the same time.
The thing is, she’s NOT really good at it. And the easiest way to tell this is to be one of the people she is communicating with on her phone, handheld device, or computer. I’ll be on the phone with her and she’ll suddenly go silent for long moments, clearly reading or responding to an email or text, and leaving our own conversation dangling. Yes, she may be addressing two or three things *during* our call, but it’s a matter of shifting her focus from one thing to another, and when that focus is off of you, believe me, you can tell. I’ve lost countless minutes of my life waiting for her to cycle back around to me during our many calls.
Working with “distractions” is something else. My daughter liked to study with the TV on, and although that idea sounded awful to me, she was an honors student, and after law school she passed both the Florida and New York bar on her first try, all while studying in a “multimedia-rich environment.” But I think this is more a comfort thing than a multitasking thing. Ironically, for some people background “noise” seems to help them focus even better – and Therese seems to be a case in point.
Anyhoo, my belief that most people are incapable of truly doing more than one thing at a time makes me look with a skeptical eye – okay, with BOTH of my eyes, since I can’t independently control them – at much of the “scientific” studies I’m seeing on multi-tasking. YMMV.
As a drummer, you may have limbs moving in different ways while often singing, but you are so incredibly in the present, which is the thing that multitasking attacks: the present moment. You’ve got to be locked in with the bass player, listening for cues from the other musicians, keeping that beat steady, but all flowing with that present moment — you lose the present moment and you lose the beat. Ooh, that’d be a good mono-tasking slogan…
I multitask because I can’t seem to shut it down.
I’ve been struggling with this issue for awhile now and have tried to create strategies to combat it. For example, at work, I have no choice but to be constantly on the computer. But at home, I can choose to not check FB or Twitter or email. I once went an entire weekend without social media and it was breathtakingly wonderful. :D
I get caught in the trap again, though, and have to set limits. I honestly don’t know what else to do.
I long for the days when I wasn’t on FB or Twitter…yet I have made such terrific connections with people with both that I can’t regret it.
I would love to see a series on this.
I once read the phrase “monkey of ten thousand thoughts”. This was a renowned lama’s description of the typical westerner mind. The label struck me as humbling but true, like your post today.
In my own experience, I find I am most productive when I am monofocused. I create a mental queue of what I need to get done before working, then I do it. I allow myself breaks, but find if these are not controlled I run into the strange email-checking time warp you mentioned from that study – it seems to consume more than the few minutes I expected. Never mind that: there are days where I have calculated how much further I will be where I realize I am not even getting started. What have I done? Just checked a few emails, really. Really!
Bing! A text message pops up. Shuffle. I have a new email! Better go check it. This behaviour is to my productivity what chocolate is to a cat and must be avoided at all cost. On good days, the phone is on silent and I do not check it until and unless I am on track, or my work day is finished. People who are trying to get ahold of me are reminded that once there was a day where people didn’t have cell phones and were unreachable during work hours.
Monotask. Thank you, Therese, for a new mantra.
Enjoyed this post and the comments. I hope we aren’t unraveling at the seams! Women have always said they multi-task better than men. Does that mean we are better at being distracted and unfocused? Hmm…
What a marvelous post. Thanks for plunging into this mess of a topic, Therese. The multi-tasking thing, which seems to have gotten way out of hand with the rise and complexity of social media, seems to have fallen into the “well it’s all part of life” syndrome.
I view it as a problem. Of course, I never liked the word/concept of multi-tasking in the same way that I cringe when someone says, “I’m a workaholic.” If you want to work a lot. Do it. If you want to do more than one thing at a time. Fine, do so. But there is no need to “brag” about it. Are these ideas really Who You Are? I don’t think so. At least I hope not.
My feeling is that people have allowed the external world to fragment the core of who they are, and the reason they have trouble focusing on “one” task at a time is because they are no longer truly comfortable with who they are by themselves.
When I worked out of my home I came in contact with more and more people complaining of being bored. These same people also admitted to being unable to read any material of length. Don’t even suggest a novel. If they weren’t texting someone, they were constantly trying to plan what to do in the next five minutes, how they would pass the time after work or on the weekend so they wouldn’t be bored. And here’s the kicker, in the midst of their planning they were also complaining about how they didn’t have time to do anything they really wanted to do. But whenever I would ask them what that was, they couldn’t come up with anything other than laundry, shopping etc.
I apologize. At this point I’m feeling a bit like Charlie Brown and I want to throw my head back, open my mouth and inside the cartoon talk bubble would be, “What’s wrong with being your own company?”
The strength to focus on any task comes from understanding who you are at your core, embracing your essence, then and only then sharing yourself with the world.
We wouldn’t ask any less of our characters, would we?
I may have strayed from the topic. I apologize.
And again, what a fabulous post! Thanks Therese.
Sat Nam! (Truth is my identity)
Loved this post, T!
I haven’t read all the comments because I need to finish a project and get it out the door, but before I close out all the windows this is what I have to say: This is has been top of mind for more than a year. I have slowed down and thankfully, I am not attached to my iPhone, but email…well, that’s completely a different story.
If I get an email that needs a response and it involves looking something up and with a task attached to it then what I’m working on gets put aside. All of a sudden I have fifteen windows open, I’m taking screen shots, the desktop is filling up and what happens? The computer begins to freeze. I spend more time trying to fix glitches all because I started to multitask.
It’s taking me time to train myself to stay off Facebook. Now, I have to train myself to now check email every 10 minutes or the headlines of the NYT.
I started writing fiction because it whisked away stress and tension. After a hectic day of multitasking, I could immerse myself in another time and place. Focus erased everything else from my mind. Remember, God invented time so everything didn’t happen all at once.
It’s an important battle, T. I’d welcome anything you can learn on the subject. Should you run out of resources, I can point you to a few.
I can multi-task but I know how I feel when afterward: fragmented, I don’t feel a sense of accomplishment, even for the tasks I accomplished. It frequently leads me into mindless activities–mindless eating, mindless TV, etc. I certainly can’t write long-form fiction.
My best days begin when I meditate before I get up. Then I sit with pen and paper and journal, make a *small* to-do list for the day and single-mindedly work through them. Fortunately, I’ve done it enough that I know it’s a solution for the crazy-making days. Speaking of which…
Fantastic and important post, T! Thank you for being so honest and open with something I think we all struggle with these days. I certainly have. Last summer, I realized that it had gotten out of hand for me. When I would sit down to write or revise, I couldn’t go more than ten minutes without checking my phone/e-mail/FB/ect… I felt restless and frustrated with everything. Between the pressures of marketing my book, trying to maintain an online presence for readers, blogging, family, and saying yes to every opportunity that came my way, I found myself exhausted, stressed, and a virtual zombie. It seemed the more I did, the less I was able to do. I can’t say I’ve found all the answers, but I have simplified my life, first by learning to say no. Second, I allow myself NOT to communicate right away. It’s why I don’t always answer a FB message the second I receive it, or even a text. There are times I leave my phone in my office while I walked my dog, cook dinner, or read a book. Recently, I started meditating every day, which has made a HUGE difference in focus. Not going to lie, my body and mind resisted the quiet at first, but now it craves it. I also started using essential oils a few months ago. I never thought they would help as much as they have, but I love them. I also started using an old fashioned journal and pen to plot out my day. I do this at night before I go to bed. I reflect on the day, jotting down feelings and frustrations and then move on to what I want to tackle the next day. I set aside time to devote to each task individually. That doesn’t mean the day always goes to plan. Sometimes I fail to complete my list. Sometimes unexpected things come up and you have to chase a rabbit down a rabbit hole, but I find it easier to come back to task now than I did previously.
T, I’m with Vaughn and Heather: a deep draught of morning meditation is the cake. Even if your monkey mind does leap from tree to tree while you sit and watch its cavortings, there’s a “mind watching mind” stillness there that is an immersion into a wide, still pool. Coming up from that often seems to seed fertile writing thoughts.
On a day-to-day level, I try to close out all other onscreen windows when working on a writing project, have shut down all emailed beep-screech alerts noting that I can now get some gluten-free Viagra by the pound, and am trying—trying, drat!—to not slip on the banana peel of reading the daily news in depth, harsh accounting of human misery that it is.
Yeah, I still fall into Twitter stupors, too often scan websites for info that’s forgotten seconds after the reading, and have lost some (but thankfully, not all) of my ability to truly luxuriate in language while reading. But that’s a fight I’m not going to lose, because it’s so much more important to me than letting the incessant squawking crows of “now this, and then that, and this again!” blunt my mind.
Oh, and a hundred red balloons to being able to go out and walk or bike ride at lunchtime, phone left all to its lonesome on the desk—it can listen to its tinny shrieks on its own.
It seems like in every job interview I’ve had in my entire life, the question “How well do you multitask?” inevitably comes up.
What people don’t get is that we are not wired to multitask. We’re so much more productive when we focus on one thing and complete it before moving on to the next.
Try writing for 30 minutes with internet access, and then try writing for 30 minutes without internet access. And then compare word counts. The difference is astronomical.
Hi Therese,
I, too, loved this post. I just finished Susan Cain’s book QUIET, which goes into detail about the fallacy of multitasking, the structure of workplaces, etc., which made me think about this topic a lot. I appreciated reading about monotasking as it particularly applies to writing.
But I also have to add that I began reading it as I brushed me teeth! Ugg.
By the above comments, it is obvious that this is a pervasive problem and that we would love a solution. I am a homeschool mother of 6, so I multitask because the kids force it on me. I naturally prefer to finish one task before starting another, but that is rarely possible for me. At the very least, someone is always talking to me.
Last year, I noticed that I could barely focus while reading a novel, and that stunned me. I had NEVER had that problem before. I thought it was age or stress, but you may be right that it is multitasking. I have struggled my way back to reading fiction, but I notice that I now have trouble focusing on nonfiction because I want to skim and hurry to the next thing.
Thanks for the post!
Boy, now that’s an enviable comment thread.
I find it interesting that we need a neologism — monotasking — to denote what we used to refer to as focus and concentration.
Those who play sports with a definite threat element or just a keen element of competition — skiing, hockey, full-contact knitting — know that lack of focus can do serious damage.
Also, in a wonderful article that went viral a few years back about all we’ve lost by discontinuing shop classes, the author made the point of noting the importance of teaching concentration and focus when working with tools in general and dangerous machinery in particular, something that is irrelevant with computers.
I think our ADD mindset has been exacerbated precisely because of the increasingly mental rather than physical nature of our work. (There are those who think that if we still needed typewriters to write we wouldn’t be seeing the explosion in “creative writing” we’ve experienced since the 1980s — precisely because it take strong hands and focus to work an old Corona, and corrections with white-out and such are so frustrating.)
None of which contributes much, I realize, but I find it interesting. As for my own work: I get up early and ignore the web precisely so I can focus and concentrate on my fiction. If I don’t do that, I get nothing done, or what I accomplish is a step up from gibberish. (Like this comment…?)
Thanks, Therese.
I have been studying, practicing and teaching mindfulness for the last two years at the elementary school I work at. What I’ve noticed about my multi-tasking habits is that I no longer like them. I have distanced myself from many social media channels, and find that I’m more likely to sit and only watch a movie with my kids than try to watch the movie, attend to Facebook and write on my manuscript. (I write later, when the kids are in bed.) Multi-tasking, especially when related to electronic devices, doesn’t really seem as fulfilling anymore, and I find myself purposely mono-tasking. I also noticed that if I get on the internet before writing, that it’s much harder to get into the manuscript.
One of the nicest things is that we can grow our brains, and with practice get back to being able to focus better. It’s just a matter of breaking those habits, and replacing them with new behaviors. Which, of course, is easier said than done sometimes! I do think having a series like you were talking about here would be good, because I think our society is looking for a little sanity. We are all recognizing the “rat-race” is not really working out. Also, writers have been told for the last several years at least that they must have a strong online-presence and I think that has led to a lot of that electronic multi-tasking you were talking about.
Hi, all –
Therese, I’ve dropped you a note in email relative to some work I did on this subject at CNN.com years ago, involving the studies of some researchers at University of Michigan.
In the meantime, in case it’s of use to anyone, you’re welcome to use my free-trial link — https://bit.ly/1q5ouTh — to a very fine software called RescueTime. I use it, myself and have done so since late 2009. Its FocusTime allows you to choose whatever time period you’d like from just minutes to hours. And by rating each of the key online spots you visit, you’re instructing the system which sites to turn off and which to leave connected when you want to work. For example, I leave my online dictionary on, as well as one browser window for research, and Q2 Music because I work to their stream of contemporary classical — all else is off. Your use of it is undetectable to anyone else, but the sensation is one of vanishing from the Web. Heaven.
Needless to say, the problems that we’re having with fractured attention aren’t all related to online work. But I do think that the Internet’s reduction of so many elements of our lives to a single, wildly sub-dividable channel is part of what’s generating so much disorientation. The fabulously diverse Internet is “training” us, as an unintentional effect, to explode our own mental patterns, just as our browsers can send us careening around the wide and worldly Web.
I see a lot of us here talking about wanting to “shut down” the multitasking effect. (Teri is right, research shows that we do not, actually, multitask but instead destabilize our effectiveness in the effort to.) I’d recommend it might help not to think of wanting to “shut it down,” which is an attempt to apply force to force. Instead — as I find that FocusTime helps me do — consider understanding what you need as “thinking through” the onslaught of distractions, and without effort. You may find that there are ways to move your consciousness through the clutter of digitally enabled interruptions — and your non-digital dog’s barking — in a sort of live-stream of your own. This response is one of choice, and that’s less an effect of force than of simply having “presence of mind.”
As the “language poet” Mac Wellman had it: “I was in my right mind once. It seems so long ago.”
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
What a fantastic roundup of comments. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. In the interest of streamlining, I probably won’t respond to everyone, but know I’m reading everything and committed to doing a series now. You’ve decided me.
My problem with sitting down to read a novel is that I fall asleep in five minutes. So it’s not just that multitasking attenuates brain function, it is also exhausting without being rewarding.
Great post, T!
T,
Great post, and so apropos to my current situation. When I first read the article this morning, I had nine tabs pulled up, was talking to Jo via a FB PM, in the midst of reading two short stories, getting up for more coffee and laughing at the thought of having time to eat.
That was this morning.
As you know, I left a comment which was swallowed up by the Internet Hellmouth. Had to fit in life somewhere, you know, the grocery shopping, running folks here, there, and everywhere. Also beta reading. And trying to fit in a book club to make sure I digest some fiction–in novel form.
You see, I’m usually quite focused. Very goal-oriented and work until that goal is achieved. It’s just been, as you said, a recent development…and it does indeed coincide with the advent of all this new world involvement.
Trying to do all the “things that we’re supposed to do,” for lack of better words–that is, twitter, facebook, google+, all social media, marketing, getting yourself out there, oh…and did I mention writing?–is at times, overwhelming. The Juno avalanche of which you wrote. I suffer and can relate to that.
The other is I can’t shut it off. It’s a part of who I am. When I go for a goal, I’m a dog with a bone, until it’s chewed up, spit out, nothing but gristle, and I’m ready for a whole new goal. So, when all that in the paragraph above is staring me in the face, it’s hard to shut off.
When I write, though, I only keep three tabs open: two google tabs and a dictionary tab. And the document, of course. I will allow myself breaks, just like any other job, and limit the time.
To handle the stress of it, I’m involved in a mindfulness-based therapeutic lifestyle change program–pretty much a continuation of all that good touchy-feely stuff we had at the uncon. ;) Seriously, though, it’s meditation, yoga, diet change (real healthy), eastern philosophies, and the like. Now, to fit that in.
Here it is, 5:42, and I’m just able to get back to this and try again. Looking up, there are now TEN tabs pulled up. Two steps forward, one step back.
I look forward to upcoming articles about your progress!
Yes, Therese, this is a great topic! I am pretty good at monotasking, but I recently got a smart phone and I can tell the difference. It is SO EASY to check email or Facebook whenever I have a free minute. I believe strongly that the mind needs to be bored sometimes–free to roam, to daydream–and the smart phone has an insidious way of stealing those moments of precious boredom away from us. I’m making an effort to turn it off more–and to make using it a conscious decision rather that something that I naturally do whenever I have free time.
As a college teacher I’ve also noticed over the years that my students have the same smart phone issues–only much more pronounced. They don’t talk to each other before and after class; instead, they pull out their phones. I realize this isn’t an attention issue per se, but it seems to be part of the same package. To connect with others, to daydream, to read long texts: all of these activities take a commitment from an undistracted brain.
Wonderful post, Therese!
There was a good interview with a neurosurgeon on NPR’s Fresh Air today. When asked “What is the best way to keep our brains healthy?” the answer was EXERCISE. Specifically, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day.
I definitely find it easier to focus and be productive after a good, brisk walk.
What if the problem were not actually what we attempt to accomplish within a short period of time, but the belief that there is not enough time? There are beliefs that rule us. There is not enough love in the world for me to be loved. There is not enough money in the world for me to ever be free from being short. There is not enough time to accomplish what I wish to do. What if the problem is not the behaviors and changes we find so distressing, but the entire system of beliefs which fuel them?
Just thinking out loud.
Therese,
The series would definitely be very timely and welcome. I multitask because I can’t stop and recently I have noticed the shrinkage in brain matter and associated ADD that has set in.
I am trying to reclaim my brain (and hope that your research would show that it is still not too late). In addition to omega 3 (I read a few articles while researching for my book that omega 3 restores the brain cells in trauma patients) I have started a meditation-yoga-exercise routine (just 10 minutes a day of one of the three) and I am noticing a slight difference. I have also started working on jigsaw puzzles for about 30 min a day – on the floor. Crazy as it may sound you can’t multitask while working on a puzzle (after all the pieces won’t find themselves while u are catching up on tweets) not to mention the meditative effect + the sense of achievement when done. It is helping my back am my mind. But the ADD persists and so does the reduced brain size.
So am looking forward to any and all suggestions that you find and post in the series. Thanks for thinking of the WUers as you grow your grey cells.
You had me at the first sentence. Yes. So glad you’re doing a series. Off to edit, er… monotask… and take Vitamin B6.
The whole time I was reading this I had that terrible, sinking, “this is true” feeling. My gut tells me you’re spot on. I do multitask a fair deal. For me the main culprit is my smart phone. I’ve noticed a distinct increase in my urge to be online (on my phone) while doing other things since I got a smart phone a couple of years ago. Before that, multitasking was more intermittent for me. Now I do it mostly out of habit/impulse, and I occasionally multitask with work stuff because it makes me “feel” more productive, even though I know that probably isn’t the reality. I’d love to hear more findings about this and how to combat it!
I’ve been warning and worrying about this for years. I, too, have fallen into this trap, but I’ve also resisted. I still carry a flip phone, which ensures that I’m not constantly checking my phone every second of every day. I make it a point to limit my social media to specific times during the day, and I recently took up tai chi to help with meditation and I do it for at least 30 minutes every day, and that has really helped calm my mind. I do carry a smartphone for work, and I notice that when I have it on trips, I’m almost glued to it, so I make an effort to not have it readily available unless I’m doing specific work-related tasks or trying to find a specific location or look up specific information and I’m not near a computer.
I keep resisting the “I WILL NEVER LOOK UP FROM MY SMARTPHONE” urge because it’s like Borg assimilation. LOL Keep posting on this topic! Much appreciated!
Hi Therese,
This morning, I made a note to let you know how much I appreciated this post, so you would continue the series. By now, you’ve obviously received quite a bit of encouragement on that score. Nonetheless, I’ll add my voice to the chorus of “Tell us more.”
That you started on the subject of focusing on reading, rather than writing, is probably what did it for me. Writing, I can manage—with some difficulty—because it’s what I should be doing. Somehow, in the course of becoming a more dedicated writer (or maybe it was college what did it), I’ve taught myself to feel guilty when I sit down to read a novel. It may be only tangentially related, but your post made me realize what rubbish that is, for which I thank you.
This is awesome and right on the money. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s having a hard time focusing these days! For me, I have a hard time shutting down. It’s the reason I don’t tweet and am trying to limit the amount of blogs I subscribe to. I focus on my writing when I turn off my email. And focusing on golf has helped me to focus in general. Look forward to the rest of your posts.
Mothers have to multitask, but the multitasking I did when my children were growing up was in a non-digital age. While I cooked I watched three children who were often in three different places. While the cake baked I used those 4o minutes to clean a room, do laundry, and keep a watch on the kids. Heaven knows what I would have done if I had all the digital distractions of today.
I still multitask when it comes to doing something active, but need to concentrate on one creative or intellectual task at a time to do it well, like reading a novel or writing a short story. Having a list of things to accomplish helps.
Wow, scary. I’m so used to multitasking I couldn’t even choose one statement. All three sound like me! Good reminder for us all to slow down.
I may be in the minority. I do not multi-task well. The first time I tried talking on a cell phone and driving, I had to pull into a parking lot. I have since gotten used to it, but that does not mean it is a great thing.
I am a homeschool mom (of 3 grades at once) and a freelance writer in my ‘free time’. I don’t work fast. I am blogging a novel, and working on articles. I do read a lot, 77 books last year, and can concentrate when I read. I tune out my kids when I’m reading, but the school day is done and dinner cleaned up.
However, I am not on FB, to me that is the proverbial bridge everyone jumped off of without thinking. I have no use for it. My phone is also old, it still flips open. When I update 4 generations later to a smart phone, will it distract me? I don’t know, but most likely. I also do not text because I don’t see the point. If I can’t talk to you, I’ll leave a message or email you. I don’t want the distraction of texts from others either. Either talk to me or email me. Nothing is that important anyway. I get tired of hearing a friend’s phone constantly while we are at writing group. Turn it off already.
I am reading a book now, called Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte. I can only read a few pages at a time, because reading about the lives of people in her book exhausts me. I could not live like these people, constantly in motion but going nowhere.
I am hugely blessed in being able to stay home, do the laundry, eat together as a family almost every night, go to worship on Sundays regularly and still have time to think and be. I would die if I couldn’t.
So I try hard not to multi-task or jump at every ring, beep, buzz, etc.
It is a sad thing that so many people live that way. I try hard not to.