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

Minimalism: My New Journey

Hello again!

Another introduction type of post here; just thought I'd get these out of the way so that there's some context to what I ramble on about.

Over the past few months, I've come across (and done a great deal of research into) a new concept: minimalism. It instantly appealed to me, so much so that I'm in the process of making pretty big life changes. I'd love it if I can document these via this blog.

Delving into the topic of minimalism was overwhelming at first; there are so many online resources and each seems to define it differently. One of my first realisations was this: minimalism is a personal endeavor, from which one can take what they seek. Fundamentally, minimalism is about living a more meaningful and purposeful life, with less. This extract from The Minimalists blog got me hooked:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we've built our lives around. Real freedom.

That sounds amazing, right? I knew I wanted to pursue it somehow, right from the offset.  The blog I mentioned above is an awesome starting place if you're interested in this, so check it out. Jenny Mustard's becoming minimalist videos on YouTube are really wonderful also; Jenny has been one of my greatest inspirations.

I don't want this to be too long, so I'll let you do a little googling if you're interested. But I have learned a lot about myself so far, including (not limited to) the following:

• I own a lot of things
• I only love a small percentage of these things, and I use even fewer
• I buy things to fill some sort of hole, particularly when I am suffering emotionally
• My wardrobe doesn't reflect my true style, but rather a mish-mash of impulse purchases, as well as far too many pieces which never see the light of day
• I've spent much of my life valuing quantity over quality, not the other way around
• I am stressed out and weighed down by the amount of possessions I am surrounded with

With these realisations, and with the help of some really informative and empowering social media accounts, here are my goals:

• To spend money more consciously, purposefully and compassionately
• To support more individual, ethical and creative businesses
• To gradually reduce my possessions to those which are essential, useful or which I truly love
• To practice gratitude on a daily basis
• To value experiences over possessions, and to pour my energy into meaningful relationships, adventures and projects

I'm so excited, and have already donated loads of my things to grateful recipients. My dream is to move to a new city later this year, and I don't want to be hauling great reams of stuff there, either. However I want to emphasize that minimalism is not so much about reducing your possessions, but on shifting the focus to more important things. 

S x