multi-tasking challenge results

well i tried the week without multi-tasking. it was an interesting little experience but wow, was it hard!! it really made me wonder if i should get medicated for ADD. no joke. but seriously, i would recommend that everyone try a week of no multi-tasking once in their lifetime. it definitely opened my eyes to the way that i work and a few ways that i could make my life more meaningful, more efficient, etc. so here are the things i learned:

1-not multi-tasking is incredibly difficult! i realize that i (and probably most other people) just slip into it naturally. it's hard to sit down to a meal by yourself and not think, "oh this would be a good time to get some reading (or email checking, or texting, etc.) done." it's HARD to do simple things by themselves, without wanting to do something else simultaneously. but...

2- when i do those mundane things without multi-tasking they become more enjoyable. eating meals become more enjoyable; doing chores give me time to think; getting ready in the morning is calmer. which leads me to...

3- when i'm not multi-tasking, my life is a lot quieter! i don't know if this is good all the time because i love music, i love audiobooks, and i love sound. i think what i'm taking from this is that i want to be more conscious about how i fill my life with sound. i know i need to make more time for silence because i found that when my life is quieter....

4- i hear my creative thoughts more easily. just in that week that i was not multi-tasking (that quiet, quiet week), i started writing a poem, got first ideas for 2 songs, and developed a few of my design concepts more fully. wow! maybe a quiet life is worth all this inspiration! maybe...

5- and finally... and maybe most importantly... when i don't multi-task my conversations are exponentially better. confession: i have this terrible tendency of surfing the internet while i'm talking on the phone. i know it's terrible. it makes me a bad listener. and then i feel bad beacuse i wasn't giving my friend my full attention. so during my multi-tasking week, i didn't get on the computer or do other things while talking to people (especially on the phone). i sat down and really listened to what they were saying. i am converted. yes, it takes more time and, yes, i sometimes think about what else i need to be accomplishing at that moment, but this is a goal that's sticking around. it is worth it because, really, life is about enjoying the moments you have...not worrying about getting more accomplished or being more efficient, blah blah blah...

so all in all...it was a thought-provoking week. i realized that there are some times when i am ok with multi-tasking and some times (talking with friends, when i'm searching for creative inspiration, etc.) when i need to shut everything else off. i really think everyone should try it! i'd love to hear other people's experiences in trying this, too!