Our modern society seems to be obsessed with
activity. We wear our stress like a badge of honor.
After-all, the busier and more stressed you are -
the more important you must be. Multi-tasking is
our mantra.
The phrases: "7/24", "always on" and "non-stop" have become pervasive. Not that long ago, a phone
call was an event. You needed to be near your phone
in order to receive a call, and if you wanted to
make a call while away from your house or office,
you had to find a pay phone. Now cellphones have
made us constantly accessible, and hands-free
headsets have just added to the multi-tasking
possibilities. Not to mention the fact that
cellphones have now taken on the multi-tasking roles
as digital cameras, music players and television
screens.
Multi-tasking is all about time. We are trying
to achieve the maximum results in the minimum amount
of time. It's all about productivity. Buy I often
wonder... are we confusing "activity" with
"productivity"?
For many people, the line between our "work
lives" and our "personal lives" has become almost
completely blurred. Advertising for notebook
computers leads us to believe that we should be
working at home, on airplanes, in taxis, in hotel
rooms, even on the beach or at the cottage.
Wireless Internet connections have just added to the
multi-tasking possibilities.
Even television has jumped on the multi-tasking
bandwagon. Picture-in-picture features allow us to
watch two or more programs at the same time. And
many programs have a scrolling "ticker" at the
bottom of the screen, showing stock prices or
headlines. Some programs are even worse, cluttering
the screen with weather information, news headlines,
sports scores, stock prices, and traffic
information, ALL at the same time. The idea is that
we need to take in the maximum amount of information
in the minimum amount of time.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-productivity
or anti-technology. I am never very far from my
BlackBerry, but the critical difference is one of
control and priority. Just because you can be "constantly connected" doesn't mean you should.
Just because you can talk on your phone, drink
coffee and eat breakfast, all while driving, doesn't
mean you should.
I advise you to temper the "productivity" offered
by multi-tasking with the peace and serenity offered
by focus. Some estimates place the processing power
of the human brain at 100 trillion calculations per
second! Imagine harnessing all of that power and
focusing it into the present moment! How much more
successful do you think you would be if you made a
conscious decision to spend at least part of your
day entirely focused on the present moment?
Focus and present-moment awareness are the
antidotes to stress. The choice is yours!
ENJOY NOW!
