And now I have your attention because I am sure you use the word ‘multitasking’ often as you go through your day! However, the truth is that it is actually impossible to multitask – we don’t do multiple things at once; we actually shift between different tasks quickly. If we do this well then we are doing busy well – this is what I spoke about in my last blog. But, if we are doing busy badly, we are doing what I call milkshake multitasking. We cause literal neurochemical chaos in our brain, which, in turn, causes literal brain damage.
Milkshake multitasking switches confusion on in our mind and brain!
In this blog I want to encourage you to really become aware of how you are doing busy because time is the most expensive commodity of all: once spent, it is gone forever, never to be found again. And when we milkshake multitask, we lose time forever. Lets look at a very obvious example of where we can lose focus and intentional directing of our thinking:
Picture this: you are working on an email, then suddenly your phone flashes multiple times and you get distracted from your focus on the important email you need to finish and you see you have a text; and a message on facebook; and a like on your instagram photo (and it’s just too tempting not to have a look at the comments); and a missed call and vm. By the time you have chaotically jumped between these distractions, and remember you have to finish the email, you find you have lost your train of thought and now it’s going to take you another 15 valuable minutes to try and recoup…and the next tweet has popped up on your screen… and someone has walked into your office to hand you another pile of things that “have to be done yesterday”…and…you get the picture!
Lets see how this could have been done: instead of jumping haphazardly between the above tasks, get disciplined and focused closure per task. This means you would say to yourself something like: “Lord help me remember where I was in this email and what should I respond to first – or shall I finish this email then look?” then intentionally and purposefully – and quickly – direct your attention in a deeply intellectual way to each task. Discipline yourself to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Watch how your efficiency and peace will improve.
See my new book “Switch on your Brain” for more information at www.drleaf.com.
In my next blog I will ask you the question: Are you a social media enthusiast or an addict?
Originally posted: 4th October, 2013
(c) Dr. Caroline Leaf.
In this blog I want to encourage you to really become aware of how you are doing busy because time is the most expensive commodity of all: once spent, it is gone forever, never to be found again. And when we milkshake multitask, we lose time forever. Lets look at a very obvious example of where we can lose focus and intentional directing of our thinking:
Picture this: you are working on an email, then suddenly your phone flashes multiple times and you get distracted from your focus on the important email you need to finish and you see you have a text; and a message on facebook; and a like on your instagram photo (and it’s just too tempting not to have a look at the comments); and a missed call and vm. By the time you have chaotically jumped between these distractions, and remember you have to finish the email, you find you have lost your train of thought and now it’s going to take you another 15 valuable minutes to try and recoup…and the next tweet has popped up on your screen… and someone has walked into your office to hand you another pile of things that “have to be done yesterday”…and…you get the picture!
Lets see how this could have been done: instead of jumping haphazardly between the above tasks, get disciplined and focused closure per task. This means you would say to yourself something like: “Lord help me remember where I was in this email and what should I respond to first – or shall I finish this email then look?” then intentionally and purposefully – and quickly – direct your attention in a deeply intellectual way to each task. Discipline yourself to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Watch how your efficiency and peace will improve.
See my new book “Switch on your Brain” for more information at www.drleaf.com.
In my next blog I will ask you the question: Are you a social media enthusiast or an addict?
Originally posted: 4th October, 2013
(c) Dr. Caroline Leaf.
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