Stop Multitasking, Embrace Focus

Multitasking is often seen as a badge of honour—proof that we’re productive and efficient. But in reality, juggling multiple tasks at once can lead to increased stress, decreased quality of work, and mental fatigue. Many still take pride in their belief they can multitask.  Instead of spreading your attention thin, embracing deep focus allows you to work more efficiently, think more clearly, and ultimately achieve better results. Let’s delve deeper into what happens in your brain, mind and business when we multitask and why I am firmly opposed to this practice.

Multitasking Defined

Multitasking is a form of distraction and the antithesis of focus.  When someone is multitasking, their awareness shifts rapidly back and forth between two or more tasks.  Awareness cannot be in two places at the same time. Awareness is binary.  As awareness shifts, so does energy.  I’m reminded of a primary principle of yoga “where awareness goes, energy flows.  Where energy flows awareness goes.”

Awareness can only engage with one task, then disengage from the first task to focus on the second task and when returning to task one it must disengage from task two and refamiliarise itself with precisely where it left off.

This constant engagement and disengagement takes a huge amount of time and energy.  Over time, mental fatigue sets in, productivity and efficiency drop by comparison to what could have be achieved with focus and concentrated awareness.

Over time we have lost the ability to focus and instead we have practiced multitasking and according to The Law of Practice, the more we practice something the better we get at it.  You could argue, that you’ll carry on multitasking and eventually you’ll be good at it.  Perhaps you’d be happy with lower productivity on your tasks, but what about your relationships at work and at home?

Imagine I’m speaking with you and whilst we are talking, I chose to do another task – perhaps phone scrolling, taking a call, or engaging in a second conversation.  When I return to our conversation, I’m likely to say something like “where were we?” This would show that my awareness has shifted from you and our conversation to something I deemed to be more important in that moment.  My behaviour has said, “you are not my priority.”  How would you feel?

I often talk about my father being my first mentor, and he taught me to focus and the importance of giving people my undivided attention.  When he was with me he gave me his undivided attention and I instinctively knew I was important to him.  Since then mentors have reaffirmed that when someone is fully present with you, engaged in the conversation they are communicating on many levels saying you matter.

Focus and My Team

I learned to use my focus to fully engage with my teams on projects and in my businesses.  Even with clients today, my mantra is “I promise not to interrupt you.”  How often are people really listened to… really heard or really have someone’s undivided attention.  It is a soulful, healing and cathartic experience that delivers on many levels including business results.

Focus and Liberation

One of my deepest insights is that humanity has many great tools for transformation of people, our planet, purpose and profit, yet sadly many have forgotten the innate skills.  One of those most profound skills is our ability to focus.  Yet most people have never been shown or taught how to focus – they may have been told, but never taught.

So, the question is this:  “How do we train our awareness to stay in one place instead of allowing it to flit to wherever our attention flows?

Start To Get Better At Focusing

Here’s a simple, practical day to day practice to help you start getting better at focusing:

Pick one task.  A task that really matters to you today.  It may be your most important task, it may be the next step to achieving a goal, it may be helping someone.  It’s your task, your focus, so feel free to follow our heart and choose one task.

Commit.  Mentally commit to working on this task for 5 minutes.

Recenter.  Bring your mind, your awareness and your focus to this one task.  Tip clear your work space from clutter or distractions.

Set a Timer.  Set your timer for 5 minutes and start your task.  If your awareness wanders, gently bring it back to the task in hand.  Please do not scold or chastise yourself.

Reward.  At the end of 5 minutes reward yourself. Perhaps a moments reflection on your task, how you feel, perhaps a sip of your daily beverage of choice, or a stand and stretch.

Now you can choose to continue building your focus muscle for better productivity.  Perhaps this time set your timer for 10 minutes.  The more you practice this the better you will become at focusing.

The Future

As more people stop multitasking and embrace focus, we will see tremendous shifts personally and professionally.

As your productivity and profitability improves, you will be eternally grateful to yourself for choosing to step away from multitasking and embracing focus.

“Where awareness goes, energy flows.  Where energy flows awareness goes.”  The energy created can uplift, inspire, empower and transform everyone around you.

Join Me