I’m not a multi-tasker, but I do it anyway. Who doesn’t? I’ve rarely seen a job description that requires mindfulness, but I’ve seen plenty that say, “Must be a good multi-tasker.” People pride themselves on their ability to multi-task. I feel inadequate.
But the truth is, we don’t really multi-task anyway. We rapidly serial-task. And research shows that attempted multi-tasking is both inefficient and stressful.
I can certainly vouch for the stressful part. When I owned and operated a cafe (and everyone knows restaurants are the ultimate in multi-tasking businesses), I used to regularly lock myself in the bathroom and cry. A little meltdown from the constant and immediate demands that made me go brain-dead.
I’ve never liked talking on the phone, but I’m a writer, and I text and email. And people text and email me. But whether it’s phone time or texting and emailing time, the constant and immediate possibility of sharing the most recent thing that comes into our heads enhances our multi-tasking addiction. We can take care of that most recent message immediately, no matter what else we’re doing.
But what we can do isn’t necessarily what we should do. When we try, we decrease focus, intelligence and productivity for each of the things we’re doing and increase stress.
So what does all this have to do with blessings? My stress levels have been unusually high this past year. So high that I’ve actually had what I can only describe as an “out-of-body” experience. Usually very context-sensitive, I am aware of being disconnected from my environment and hearing words that are not contextually appropriate coming out of my mouth.
I decided to engage in a conscious process of reducing my stress levels. This isn’t very easy for me. Have you ever tried bio-feedback? I did once, at the Museum of Science and Industry. A friend who was with me tried it first and worked the feedback like a symphony. Then it was my turn. I clipped my finger into a particular spot, and the feedback was at a pretty shrill level, much like my insides. I tried everything to bring it down. Then I thought, well, if I can’t bring it down, maybe I’ll bring it up. No problem.
All of which is to say, I need time for this process, and I need techniques, something shorter than a half hour meditation session at this stage of my work. Jewish blessings seem like just the thing. A brief moment in time of total focus. If I have one today, maybe I can have two tomorrow. And three the next day. Maybe I’ll even get to 100 blessings a day.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it back to myself and the calm that comes from knowing I am part of everything, and everything is part of me.