Emily Schudel of our Google+ Community shares the following account of her progress to date:
The mind wanders into very interesting corners, but I am learning to patiently let it go and return to the breath. I find the practice creeping into my workday as well. I have an app on my computer that also helps (called Stillness Buddy) – pops up on my screen at intervals for a variety of stillness pauses in the day.
One thing I am really trying to be mindful of at work (and in life) now is getting away from multitasking. So many people seem to think doing many things at once is important, necessary and showing of great skill. I don’t know any more – I am beginning to think not, although I still get trapped in the mindset of doing many things at once. I’m trying to stop, do one task at a time (of course, work doesn’t always allow for that, but I try to do one thing for a set time, then switch to another) and do it with full attention on the task at hand, trusting that the other task(s) will be waiting for me to complete next. People at work laugh when I talk about multitasking being perhaps not the thing we should be working towards, but I am caring less and less. I feel like I accomplish more (and accomplish it better, if you will) but lending my full attention to one task at a time. But, I’m still working on it!
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Hi, Emily. There is clear evidence that so-called multi-tasking is a very inefficient way to work. I don’t have it at my fingertips but will try to dig it up.
One aspect I recall (roughly): Every time you switch from one ‘task’ to another, it takes a while for your mind to get up to speed with the new thing. So even if you interrupt task A for just two minutes to do B then go back to A, you lose clarity and momentum on A and have to build it up again.
Of course, taking a break to relax and refresh the mind is a different category altogether than skipping around between tasks.
Emily – Here’s a good blog posting on the subject.
https://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/05/how-and-why-to-stop-multitaski.html
Emily – sorry, pressed “submit” by mistake!
This one’s very clear on the huge costs of so-called multi-tasking.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/the-true-cost-multi-tasking
Hope those are of some use.
Andy.