Many events unfold in tandem, or are the consequence of others that precede or follow them. Sometimes they even unfold simultaneously—either throughout the entire event or only during a part of one or several of them.
Every day, we are bombarded by multiple stimuli, from the moment we get out of bed—or rather, the moment we open our eyes—until the moment we fall asleep.
Even if we wanted to avoid these stimuli, only a sterile world would guarantee that possibility—and even then, we might still be overwhelmed by our thoughts or anxieties.
But what happens when we don’t know how to focus our attention, or when we let ourselves be swept away by the foam of the ceaseless waves of our daily lives? Often, we fail to create that space. The space between things. The space that allows us to reflect on what we’ve just done, observed, heard, or felt—in preparation for the next experience or event—whether internal or external—that may be connected to it, or that we may have chosen to connect to it, or simply let ourselves be swept along to that place.
Every day, and constantly—even in situations where our attention demands greater care—something “disturbs” us or “steals” our focus. It may be something happening outside of us or not, as I’ve already mentioned. Sometimes—and very often in a professional context—while we’re engaged in a task, a mental process, or simply taking a break between tasks or processes, or during our 15-minute lunch break, we’re interrupted by someone or something.
And we don’t realize that our attention, energy, and focus have been diverted.
We’re constantly interrupted by someone who treats their input, problem, or issue as something that must be immediately addressed or resolved, running roughshod over everything and everyone…
And we simply let ourselves be swept up in this narrative.
Couldn’t the matter or situation on our mind—whether it’s the subject of an email from our manager or a complaint from a customer who expressed dissatisfaction with a service rendered, and which does not entail ongoing harm if not addressed immediately—be considered or addressed at a later time, or even on another day?
We sabotage our own lives, our peace of mind, and our efficiency.
Studies show that if we don’t complete a task—and if we’re juggling multiple tasks or goals at the same time—our attention inevitably jumps back and forth between them. It’s impossible to maintain maximum focus on two or more at once. It’s physically impossible, and that’s what—fortunately—sets us apart from machines—if I may offer that opinion.
Humans have that advantage. To think, to reason, but also to seek ways to integrate other thoughts—which may even be divergent at that moment—but which lead down a path that might be interesting to explore, taking us to other places.
We find ourselves, at the end of a movie being shown in a theater—and while the end credits have barely begun—already reaching for our cell phones to check our email, scroll through social media, share the experience we’ve just had with the 500,000 WhatsApp groups, and tweet our review of the film. All of this, without taking a break.
Just like our breathing, we also need to take a break. We cannot physically inhale and exhale at the same time.
If we tried, we would quickly go into hyperventilation and would be unable to meet our physiological needs for oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide.
It would be harmful to even try to think about that process.
So why are we afraid, and why do we feel inferior, when we do just one task at a time? Could it be that in this era of efficiency and multitasking, we think being more productive means carrying more shopping bags at the same time?
If we do that, something will change. Physically, we can’t carry more bags at the same time from one place to another. And worse than that, we’ll use up much more energy, and it might even take us longer than if we carried one bag at a time.
More time and more energy… And at what cost?
At the cost of having no breaks… of having no space. Of not making room in our minds to let us dream, or simply not think, and continue to be happy—and very different from machines.
Image by Greg Plominski from Pixabay
Original text written by 