The Art of UNItasking: A Semi-Reformed Multitasker Tells All

February 18th, 2010

Close your other browser windows. Please.

Turn off the TV.

Put the baby down.

And the fork.

And the magazine.

Hang up the phone, too.

Seriously, are we all out of control or what? We wear too many hats, we have not enough time. So what do we do? Everything. At the same time.

I used to be the dictionary definition of what astrologists consider a typical Gemini. I would have six books of various genres going at any one time. I would tackle my to-do list round-robin style, a little of this a little of that, with multiple items going simultaneously. I’d read, watch TV, and make notes in my journal all at the same time. And when I was done at the computer, it took me five minutes just to close all the programs and browser windows I’d have open.

I thought that motherhood would kick the multitasking madness in me up a notch or five, but it’s almost like becoming a mother broke the machine. Or rather, it showed me the folly in thinking the machine worked that way. Uh, “me” being the machine.

Turns out that recent studies have shown that your IQ goes down ten points when you try to do more than one thing simultaneously. If you’ve ever walked around your house talking on your cell phone while looking for your cell phone, you know that’s no lie.

But there’s something more to it. The tendency to do more with less time makes your brain skittish, always wanting to add to the moment. What else? What else? What else?  in a robotic sing-song that makes it difficult to focus on the things you are already doing. (I know it’s not just me.)

When my husband and I aren’t fully present with our two-and-a-half year-old, Ben, we can only fake it for so long and then he does one of two things: If he can, he grabs either side of our face and turns it to whatever he wants us to look at or he turns it toward his own face and repeats a single word request until we respond. (Often our response is “No.” He wants lollipops a lot. “Pop. Pop. Pop.”) If he can’t get us by the face, he just walks around pushing buttons, opening drawers, and pulling at cables until he has our attention. (Nothing like a neglected toddler grabbing for your computer router to snap you out of a fog.)

But aside from really appreciating the artisitic merits of “Abby’s Flying Fairy School” (it’s part of Sesame Street- it rocks), there is something about being fully present at one thing for a period of time that is like resting, it is an echo of a time where there were only nine channels on your TV, all the phones were wired to a wall, and… well, you get the idea. It’s peaceful. (Seriously, kids, NINE channels.)

I try to take this lesson into the rest of my life, with varying degrees of success. Here are some things I’ve learned from experimenting with unitasking, my name for the alternative to multitasking:

1) Email is a huge distractor no matter what anyone says. Having your computer ding (or a pop-up appear on screen) every time an email arrives is like someone saying “Look over here, look over here” at random, frequent intervals while you try to do other things. Just close the email box when you start a project. The mail will still be there when you are finished.

2) Doing one thing at a time will not only make you more efficient, it will give you a healthier sense of the passing of time. When you do one thing at a time, time seems more linear and therefore more expansive. You did this and then you did this and then you did this. Flitting between several things will only make you feel like time is a giant blob and you probably won’t finish as much, thus making you feel even more starved for time than you did when you started.

3) If you make a to-do list and then prioritize it before you start tackling the items, you will be more at peace with unitasking. This will guarantee you are doing the most important thing first and you will be less likely to obsess over the other things you need to do.

4) Reading while the TV is on assures that you will not absorb the content of either medium very well. It may be basic to some people, but not everyone realizes the brain-split that happens in this scenario. (I can’t even listen to music that has lyrics while I am either reading or writing.) You definitely get more out of either of these things if you choose between them.

5) Multitasking is only better when one of the tasks is really automatic, such as folding laundry while watching TV or doing dishes while listening to “This American Life.” I’d go so far as to say having a diversion during these mindless tasks can give you a healthier sense of time. You are not obsessing over how much of your life is passing you by while you attend to these mundane chores. Instead, you are enjoying “Modern Family.” Or even “Abby’s Flying Fairy School.”

As usual, I would like to hear your take on time and how you organize it to its best advantage – or not. Comments welcome, appreciated, enjoyed.

[Full disclosure: I have been having lunch while writing this. What are you gonna do? A girl's gotta eat.]

Know anyone who would like this post? Please share it with them and encourage them to sign up to have MoveYouForward.com’s weekly posts delivered directly to thier mailbox. Also, consider sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook or wherever you go for social networking.

No related posts.

Filed under: personal stuff

Tags: Ben, multitasking, unitasking