“The best time of my life is now” ~ Deepak Chopra
Have you ever had a meeting rescheduled or time blocked out in your calendar to do something and it was canceled? Do you get excited with the “found time?” When this happens, I see it as a gift - because I have a few hours to do whatever I want. I am currently ecstatic because I have the gift of a “found” week. I received a notice for Federal Jury duty several months ago and was on call for the week of October 30th. I blocked out the entire week in my calendar. But, when I called to check on my status, I learned that I was not needed and I now have an entire week with nothing scheduled. So, I am going to relish this gift and find time to be present and do things that nourish my soul and bring me joy. I am going to paint, photograph, read, spend time in nature, meditate more, journal and have more space between activities. What this gift reminds me is that I need make sure that I find time in my daily life to do these things that recharge my batteries and not wait until I receive the gift of "found time." I also need to reframe how I look at time – it isn’t an enemy and there is no such thing as “found time.” There is only the present moment and I must live in the present moment. Every day I am alive is found time and I must make the most of each day and each moment. I am very pleased that Deepak Chopra and Oprah started a 21-Day Meditation Challenge today on Making Every Moment Matter. It is exactly what I need to help me learn a way to reframe how I look at time. The centering thought for today is the quote I shared above, “The best time of my life is now.” It is a reminder to live in the present moment, not to dwell in the past or worry about the future. I must appreciate every moment and know that it is the best time in my life. I highly recommend the 21-Day challenges, as they are free to listen to during the three weeks of the event. I always learn something from the wisdom of the lessons and they also provide a short meditation to help me come back to the present moment. You can sign up at https://chopracentermeditation.com/ May you discover true happiness in the present moment. How do you view time? Do you find happiness in each moment?
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“When we think we’re multitasking we’re actually multiswitching. That is what the brain is very good at doing – quickly diverting its attention from one place to the next. We think we’re being productive. We are, indeed, being busy. But in reality we’re simply giving ourselves extra work.” ~ Michael Harris
In our accomplishment-oriented society, we have emphasized the ability to multitask as a crucial skill necessary for the work environment. However, research in recent years has shown that our brains truly cannot multitask and when we attempt to multitask we add more stress to our lives. Our brains are not capable of doing more than one thing at a time. So, when you think you are multitasking between working on a project and responding to an email, your brain is just switching back and forth between each activity and your attention is fragmented. This frequent switching overloads our brain. Many people have thought that it is vital for our brains to multitask because it is giving them a good workout, however, the exact opposite is true. When you multitask, you are exhausting the brain and draining the brain of its cognitive resources. I know that when I was multitasking furiously at work, I felt like I was developing Alzheimer’s disease because I was unable to remember so many little things and the research is proving this to be true. Those people who are habitual multitaskers increase the stress hormone cortisol in their brain and that can damage the memory region of the brain. Prolonged stress and multitasking is harmful to your body and brain. The biggest detriment in our ability to singletask is technology. I love technology and all of the things it can do for us, but I am also cognizant of the distractions it causes in life. Our younger generation has grown up with technology and finds multitasking normal, fun and exciting. But, as more and more of us have become dependent on our technologies, we too suffer from the constant distractions. Many people are constantly connected to their “smart devices” and when they see an email, Facebook, Instagram, or text notification, they switch from whatever they were doing to deal with the newest piece of information. Thus, they lose the acuity on the task they were doing to check out the latest, tweet, text or email. And for the most part, many people are unconscious and don't realize they are controlled by the technology and the constant demand to switch tasks. Multitasking does not help our productivity. If you want to be the most productive on a complex task, you should singletask and place all of your energy and brainpower on the one task. What can you do the change the multitasking habit? Mindfulness and doing one thing at a time is the key. I schedule a block of uninterrupted time each day to focus on big projects that require the most brainpower. I have turned off notifications on my computer, tablet, phone and watch and set times each day to attend to email and social media. Many advise checking email and dealing with it two –three times a day instead of letting it interrupt your flow all day. I usually work on email at the beginning of the day, after lunch and before dinner. The only notification I receive during the day is the reminder to breathe. When it goes off, I stop what I am doing and practice focused breathing for a minute or two and that brings me back to the present moment. When I am with other people, I turn off my phone and am fully present with the people I am engaging with and concentrate on the conversation. Finally, I give my brain practice in doing one thing at a time with a daily meditation practice, which calms my body, fights the stress caused by multitasking and improves the cognitive functioning of my brain. Do you multitask? What impact does it have on your life? What can you do to include more singletasking activities in your day? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Research Links The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain Email Duration, Batching and Self-Interuption: Patterns of Email Use on Productivity and Stress The Myth of Multitasking A critical role for the right fronto-insular cortex in switching between central-executive and default-mode networks |
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Peggy Steffens is an artist and Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor My goal is to build a community with like-minded individuals who want to grow, share and learn from one another. Please post comments to enrich the experience for all.
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