The Art of Single Tasking

Happy Monday!

Just wanted to share a really quick and simple productivity tip. This is especially for those of you who are always multitasking in the hope of getting more done. I'm the worst for this! Until recently, many of my meals were eaten at my desk, whilst trying to get a college assignment finished. I can't remember the last time I watched a movie, without absentmindedly scrolling through social media alongside. I am all for taking breaks, but switching the tab to reply to facebook messages every five minutes is not productive. I fiddle and fidget, and always feel the need to be doing something with my hands.

I have been a huge multi-tasker, but often at the expense of my best work, or the most meaningful experiences.

from powerofpositivity.com

So I've been practicing something new. It's pretty simple, but so effective. All I do is try to focus on a single task or activity, devoting all of my attention to it.

"We have to dispel the myth that if you're only doing one thing you're not doing as much"

- Dr Rouse

 This falls in line with mindfulness, and delayed gratification as I've mentioned before. I've not perfected the skill yet and I still find myself multi-tasking on a daily basis, but it has been so effective when I've committed to it. Not only do I complete tasks sooner and to a higher standard, but I am far more mindful and appreciative of the the things I truly enjoy. According to Huffington Post, 'unitasking' is allows mindful people to complete tasks 50% faster, and with 50% less chance of errors. Try it out some time!

"Rather than divide our attention, it is far more effective to take frequent breaks between intervals of sustained, one-pointed attention"  

-Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness at Work 

This week is half term for me, and I can feel myself becoming overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to get through. My three essays and research project won't write themselves, so I'm setting myself a new challenge for this week. I'm super excited to see how it goes (yeah, I'm a bit of a nerd). I've taken from this list of reminders for single tasking, and I've a few of my own. Prior to today, neither of these three things ever happen; they're still things I need to work on:

1. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with my phone out of reach for a week
2. Watch a movie from start to finish without distractions
3. Listen to an album all the way through

 So far so good! Here's to a productive week! Hope you have a good one.

S xxx