One at a time

One activity at a time. Easier said than done.

Technology makes it so much harder, to the point where single-tasking becomes a real challenge. Take a basketball game. It's on the television, but my phone is in my hand. I'm scrolling. I'm texting about the game. I'm jumping over to Instagram, where I have an odd devotion to car campers and van lifers. Along the way I'm taking restaurant and coffee shop suggestions, looking up a movie to catch at the AMC, hunting for a show to stream. Meanwhile, the basketball game moves forward — with or without me.

So I decided to put the phone away during the game and do one thing: watch.

It was harder than I thought. The pull back to the phone is strong. But deep down, I know that one activity at a time is easier on the brain. My mind tells me life was easier in 1994, and it's tempting to agree. Except in 1994, I had my own desires, frustrations, and challenges too. The mind is a revisionist historian.

So here's the lesson. It is better to do one activity at a time.

When was the last time you gave one thing your full, undivided attention — and what made it so hard to stay there?