How To Quit Your Multitasking Addiction
Do you want to quit multitasking?
So many of us are addicted to it. In fact, chances are that you’re doing something else right now!
You might be in a meeting, working on a proposal, talking to someone on the phone, working out in the gym, having dinner, you name it.
Am I right?
Even if you’re 100% concentrated on reading this article, you probably multitask throughout your day. Most of us do. We think it’s a good thing to be busy.
However, we all know that multitasking is not effective. In recent years, much attention has been paid to its negative impact on the brain.
In simple words, multitasking makes you dumber.
The research is not pretty. Plus, in the United States alone, $650 billion is wasted in businesses because we can’t quit multitasking.
Why is it so hard to stop doing things that hurt us?
I think all the adverse effects of multitasking are not visible to us. If someone tells you: “We lose a lot of business due to multitasking.”
We think: “Sure.” Or: “Multitasking kills your brain.” We believe: “I’m still here talking to you, right? My brain works pretty well.”
We read about it and continue to multitask our way through life. Our behaviour doesn’t change.
All those things are hypotheticals — things that might happen.
But what if I tell you that life is better NOW when you stop doing a million things simultaneously?
First, I have a few questions for you:
- Do you ever feel restless?
- Do you feel the urge to grab your phone every 5 minutes?
- Do you find it difficult to focus on one thing?
- Do your relationships suffer from your “distracted” behaviour?
- Does your work suffer from that same behaviour?
If you answered yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I have some news for you: You’re an addict.
I’m not kidding. I’m serious about this. It’s not normal if you’re constantly distracted or if you have an urge to give in to intrusions.
In what universe is it expected to check your email every 5 minutes? Or answer texts immediately, no matter what you’re doing? Or read the news every 10 minutes? Why do you need all those things?
I suspect you don’t have an honest answer. At least, I didn’t. All those examples that I’m giving came from my own life.
I always felt on edge, like I was missing out on something. I was always thinking:
- “Are there any new emails I have to respond to?”
- “Who should I text now?”
- “What’s a person X doing?”
- “Are there any new articles?”
- “Is there any new news?”
And those thoughts popped up anytime during the day.
During meetings, breakfast, lunch, dinner, work, relaxation, running, and even during sex. I was obsessed with doing multiple things at the same time.
The quality of life takes a serious hit if you’re a slave to distractions.
But I believe that you shouldn’t be a slave to anything and that you should have complete control over your mind. And not the other way around.
If you can’t quit multitasking and remain addicted to it, your mind controls your behaviour. But that’s not what our mind is for.
So why do you let your mind take control over your actions? Not good.
Why I Quit Multitasking
If you’re used to multitasking, it’s tough to stop. You need a compelling reason. The reason I stopped is simple: Time.
Steve Jobs put it best:
“My favourite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s obvious that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
Multitasking saves time, but it’s actually the opposite. Refocusing on the original task takes up to 9 minutes every time you switch between tasks, which adds up quickly.
And because I didn’t want to waste my time on planet Earth, I stopped multitasking altogether.
Get Fully Engaged
One of my favourite books about habits is Daily Rituals by Mason Currey.
If you don’t know that book, it’s a collection of working routines of many of the greatest minds in history.
You can read about the habits of Nikola Tesla, Benjamin Franklin, Jane Austen, Voltaire, Ayn Rand, and more than 160 others.
For instance, Freud worked sixteen hours daily, but Gertrude Stein could never write for more than thirty minutes.
A common theme for most people mentioned in the book is that they manage to find time for uninterrupted work. Otherwise, how do you get things done? It’s impossible.
Most also went for long walks, closed the door to their office for hours at a time, or had very strict daily routines. They did these things to be alone with their thoughts, find calm, or focus on solving problems.
When truly engaged, we don’t multitask — we’re too busy with the task. And that’s one of the core problems with multitasking. We just do a bunch of stupid things at the same time.
But have you ever multitasked satisfying activities? Stuff that you’re passionate about?
I don’t feel the urge to grab my phone when having an interesting conversation, enjoying nature, or having a great meal.
So, if you don’t know what else you should do other than checking your email, the news or social media, here are some ideas:
- Go for a one-hour walk without devices.
- Spend a weekend in a cabin without the internet.
- Put all the TVs in the basement or attic and only read during downtime.
- Go fishing.
- Play your favourite sport.
- Take a nap.
- Write in your journal.
- Listen to an album from start to finish.
- Start a video diary.
- Write a poem for someone you love.
- Do great work.
Just be creative. Because these activities, in contrast to mindless activities, really stimulate your mind.
Your mind gets more robust if you do those things. See it as an exercise for your brain.
And with a strong brain, you can achieve practically anything you can imagine. Muhammad Ali put it best:
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it — then I can achieve it.”
Now, you just have to believe it. One task at a time.
Thank you for reading!
