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Stop multitasking: Give your brain a break
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The information age is indeed upon us. With the explosion of the Internet and burgeoning field of cell phones and iPads, data is at our fingertips.
While technology is truly a godsend in terms of data retrieval, our brains cannot sustain a continual barrage of information. Many of us are living virtual lives and relinquishing the opportunity to experience the beauty, authenticity and wholeness of life. More importantly, we fall prey to multitasking – responding to emails and texts while attending to other tasks. Multitasking is the bane of peaceful living. It drains our brains, stunts creativity and is less efficient.
Multitasking leads to mental exhaustion
I have written on the virtue of mindfulness or living in the moment. Multitasking is simply mindlessness, the antithesis of living in the present. Too many of us are “being lived” by our cell phones – waiting for the next text or email and missing all the beauty and wonder the present moment holds. Relationships suffer when we are wed to our phones. Loved ones do not experience all of us. Rather, conversations are often regarded as intrusions on our “phone time.”
Recent studies confirm that multitasking does not work. A Stanford study demonstrated that subjects simply could not process multiple streams of information. It has been estimated that productivity lapses up to 40% when multitasking. The truth is, our brains are only capable of attending to one cognitive task at a time. In other words, we are capable of conducting one mental activity at a time despite thoughts to the contrary. Task switching is a more appropriate term for trying to do many things at once. We can be on our computer or we can be on the phone but we simply cannot do both in any given instant. Researchers demonstrate that many people can detect when someone is calling us and when someone is on the computer. Why? The quality of the act is compromised.
Furthermore, it takes a considerable amount of time to regain focus when we constantly shift attention back and forth. In fact, the rapid sifts of activity between different parts of a brain inherent in the act of multitasking can lead to mental exhaustion.
Identify high-yield endeavors
Effective living requires we identify what is important to us and address them one at a time. Susan Weinschenk, PhD, is a behavioral psychologist and recommends the 80/20 rule for effectiveness. Since 20% of the work we do yields 80% of the impact and effectiveness, Weinschenk suggests identifying the high-yield endeavors and do them one at a time. In addition, she states that when we list truly important, high-yield activities and tackle the hardest ones first, personal effectiveness and confidence skyrocket.
The obvious goal is to establish technology “no-fly zones” in your life. Try to attend to emails in specific time periods and be present when doing so. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week, suggests checking email once a day. The “batch processing” approach to emails should generalize other parts of your life for true effectiveness. For example, establish a surgery zone, workout zone, reading zone and, most importantly, a relationship zone in your day.
When you attend to the email, try to handle it once. The more we read emails and do not choose an immediate action, the more we will feel overwhelmed.
Rest your brain
Some other suggestions to simplify your life and rest your brain:
- Put first things first. In the evening, make a list of important tasks required for the next day. Then, in the morning tackle the most difficult one first. Resist the temptation to answer emails first thing in the morning. Important goals will be compromised.
- Turn off your phone during office hours. The intrusion of calls disrupts flow and takes us away from patients.
- Put the phone away once you enter your home. Be with your family and enjoy their presence. The messages can wait.
- In your chosen email time, do only emails. Do your best to handle them once.
Life is too short to become inundated with information. Technology should be at our disposal and not become our master. Get back to life and those you love. There will always be more emails and texts to answer but those you love simply cannot wait.