Toss the Telephone/Texting/Tasking Tendency Tuesday

Blah... blah... blah.... BOOM!!!!!

It’s fairly simple, and the bumper sticker I saw says it all:  STOP TALKING AND DRIVE!

Look, I’m as guilty as the next wild woman of multi-tasking while driving.  I admit that I have done the rushed morning commute while putting on make-up, talking on the speaker phone and drinking my tea, almost simultaneous, if truth be told.  And yes, I do say that with some pride, but let’s remember that pride goeth before a fall (or an accident).  It is stupid, and I am in recovery.  Hello, I’m Linda, and I’m a commuting eating-drinking-phoning-audiobook-reading multi-tasking fool.

While I like to think that I can do a gabillion things at once, all with magnificent dexterity and perfection, mind you... sigh... I can’t.  But I’m learning how not to hang my head in shame when I say that, as I realize that focusing on one thing whenever possible is always optimal to accomplishing that task.  Think about it.  Don’t you hate it when you’re trying to talk to someone and they’re looking around, texting or answering a cell phone, performing another task, watching TV, etc.?  It’s the society we are becoming – and it’s not good.  I’ve written before that giving someone your FULL ATTENTION when speaking with them is a gift, a very valuable gift that tells them they are special and you are completely interested in what they have to say to you right now, at that moment in time. 

Translate that into your everyday driving experience.  Do you have a passenger in the car?  Don’t you want to give them the gift of safety by focusing on the road?  Obviously I’m not saying you don’t speak with them, or turn and give them your full attention then and there, but you know what I’m saying here.  Don’t jeopardize your safety, their safety and the safety of the person you won’t clobber head on!  Seriously, ladies, is that phone call truly necessary?  Can it wait 10 minutes?  If not, pull your busy booty off the road and talk then.  This phenomenon of the compulsive obsession with car phones is only a few decades old at best.  There are actually those of us who remember when a phone in the car wasn’t even an option!  (Yup, I’m THAT old.)  Every wild woman should have a mandatory cell phone (and Triple AAA) for her travels.  But use it for emergencies only (just like Triple AAA), not for the random call about your day, your investments, dinner that night, plans for the weekend, how the boyfriend or hubs and/or kids are working your last nerve, etc.  Tell your family/friends that you won’t be picking up the phone while driving, but will get back to them as soon as you pull into wherever it is you’re going. Don’t talk, don’t text, just drive.  You can ALWAYS pull over and talk. 

I want you to check out this article – the stats are a real eye-opener for those of us who are addicted to multi-tasking in the car.  It’s called “Distracted Driving… Why the Devices That Are Supposed to Make Us Safer Do Just the Opposite” by David Ropeik on the www.bigthink.com website.  Look at this table to see how distracted driving hampers your safety! Here is the link:

http://bigthink.com/risk-reason-and-reality/distracted-driving-why-the-devices-that-are-supposed-to-make-us-safer-do-just-the-opposite

I just love his astute pickup that Jim Morrison sang about safe driving:  “Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel.”  Could NOT resist taking that line!  Too funny!  I know, it will be an ear worm all day and you know you’re gonna be singing it at some point today when you get behind the wheel!

Seriously, though, as part of your physical fitness routine, please consider eliminating cell phone usage while you’re spinning your wheels… at least your auto wheels.  Exercise restraint while you focus on safe driving.  It could save your life, and the lives of others.

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush

Multi-tasking Moratorium Monday

Whew… it’s Monday, and we’re one holiday down. How are you today? Happy? Exhausted? Glad to get back to the office and have the kids back in school? Already looking forward to getting family/friends together for the next holiday bash? And so begins the Christmas countdown… and your next endless list of things to do, get, prepare, etc.

There’s been a LOT of hype for years now about multi-tasking. You know, put on your makeup and drink your coffee and talk on the phone (using a speaker, of course) and listen to your audio book all while you’re commuting! Let me tell you, I am an expert at putting on mascara/blush/lipstick without even looking in the mirror. Eyeliner… hmmm… not so much. I see it at the gym: on the treadmill, reading, earphone in one ear listening to music while clandestinely chatting away on their cell phone, since you’re not supposed to use a cell phone on the gym floor). I see it at the office: speakerphone on (but muted) attending a conference call meeting, two screens up with different projects while the desk is covered in paperwork, while talking to someone else in the office. We all do it at home: meal cooking, helping one child with homework, while tracking another as they try to share the dog’s food, while the laundry is going, and the phone is ringing… Wait, I’m exhausted just reading this. And even when we’re not physically multi-tasking, we’re mentally multi-tasking, switching topics at a nanosecond – the noise in our heads invades each thought until we’re unable to focus on any one thing.

Today, let’s begin exercising our FOCUS muscles and put a moratorium on multitasking. A recent study showed that multi-tasking isn’t a good thing, and that switching mindsets creates exhaustion and mediocrity or even failure at the multiple tasks you’re trying to complete. (See the three links below for the articles and the study itself).

For today, instead of trying to do ten things at once, first write out a list of all the tasks you wish to accomplish today (just today). Then begin – but give everything you’ve got to the task at hand – focus only on that task until it is complete. Once done, go on to the next task on your list, and repeat. When you are speaking to someone today, whether by phone or in person, be fully present and give them 100% of you. Instead of thinking of all you need to do, when you walk to your car or take a walk or wait in a grocery line or doctor’s office, be totally in that moment. Notice the colors, the sounds, the smells, the textures. Give yourself over to that particular point in your life, because it will never be there again.

I’m going to be doing this with you, because I’m a multi-tasking freak myself. The other night I was on the phone with a friend, laptop beside me, TV on, and painting my toenails. Trust me, I barely remember half of my friend’s conversation, little of the TV show, and my little piggies look like a “Jungle Red” slaughterhouse!! Did I do all these things at once? Sure! Did I do ANY of them well? Nope.

I suspect that if we develop our ability to be less multi-tasked and more “I’m in the here and now giving this task/person my full attention” tasked, not only will we become more productive, but perhaps even a little more at peace, enjoying each moment a little more. Would LOVE to hear your comments and results!

Blessings,
Linda

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/13/multitasking-is-bad-for-you_n_925958.html
http://www.fyiliving.com/research/jg-kvm-multi-tasking-exhausts-you-quicker/
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1147689