Mindfulness in a World Obsessed with Multitasking
by Sonia Acosta, Director of Visual Design
Multitasking is considered such an important skill in today’s society that we highlight it on our resume and feel pride when we can do several things at once, maximizing every minute of our day. We claim that this is an evolutionary trait of living in a fast-paced world, where things are always changing and we have to keep up to stay relevant. On the flip side, this fast paced world keeps telling us that we need to be present, more mindful, and “live in the now.” Contradictory much?
I know I am not alone when I say how in the world are we supposed to be always on while being present?! It’s an oxymoron and simply unrealistic. I mean how many people go from being on a conference call, while making dinner and watching their children and doing a thousand other tasks, all in under an hour, so that they can still have time to do yoga and be mindful and present during their meditation session? It sounds ridiculous, right? Why do we feel that if we aren’t doing a million things at time, we are unproductive members of society? Worse, we judge those who aren’t.
The lie we’ve been sold
The reality is that multitasking does not make us more productive. Research conducted at Stanford University found that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers also found that people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time. Also, a study at the University of London found that participants who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines that were similar to what they’d expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night (!!!).
Mindfulness “Nirvana”
On the other side of the spectrum, we have mindfulness practice, or “nirvana” as we’ve been taught to believe… this crazy, unattainable notion that “mindfulness” can only be achieved by becoming a full-time yogi (no offense to yogis) and moving to the mountains. Essentially, making the idea that a working parent living in the middle of a busy city, can only dream of being mindful, but will never truly attain it. When the truth is that mindfulness at its core is “the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.” Now that is something we can achieve. Instead of striving to do everything at once, we need to focus on what we are doing RIGHT NOW. It sounds easy, and when you think about it, it’s what we ask our children to do everyday. But when we factor in what society, media and corporate America have told us for years, along with a generation of people who’ve taught us that our ability to multitask is a badge of honor that should be celebrated and featured on a job application, it’s a pretty tall order.
As a Creative Executive and mom of two I struggle with this daily. My mind is always going a mile per minute, thinking of all the things I need to do and be. I find myself just spinning in circles, literally, trying to pick up toys, answer Slack notifications, get dinner started, and field the never ending questions of a curious 4-year-old. Sound overwhelming? Now, tack on having to balance work and being a “good” mom… I was at the point of burnout — multitasking but never getting anything done or feeling like I was doing enough, when someone pointed out that the world was not going fast, that I was making my world go fast. This person helped me realize that I was quickly driving myself to the brink of insanity, because I was always on, always running towards something that was simply unattainable. I was making myself sick and as if you’re a parent with little kids, you know that’s simply not an option. Something had to change.
Fast forward to now
Today, I am trying my best to pause and think about what I am doing, before I start doing. And, I make sure that I finish that task, before moving on to the next. It sounds silly, but it works and has helped me manage the chaos. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t mastered this yet and of course, there’s always the exception to the rule when you have to finish the dishes and prevent your kid from putting something up their nose. But ever since my “aha” moment, I’ve been more aware of everything that I do and am constantly working towards being more present, and avoiding the trap that is “multitasking.” I recognize that it’s going to take a lot of time, maybe even years to unlearn the lie that we’ve been sold on, but as of right now, I am proud that I’ve started the journey. And hope that by living more mindfully, I can teach my girls to do the same.
Written by Sonia Acosta, Director of Visual Design
