A Multitaskers Journey in a Monotasking World

Does your mind run on overdrive and you cannot do just one thing? You might be a member of the “2%,” and I am not talking about low-fat milk.

I read a post on the Psychology Today blog, Brain Trust where blogger Garth Sundem interviewed David Strayer, director of the applied cognition lab at the University of Utah who studies multitasking in the realm of distracted driving.

When asked about monotasking and multitasking, Strayer’s studies found that "98% of people can't multitask—they don't do either task as well." And, 2% of people can multitask or show no ill effects from multitasking. Strayer calls these people supertaskers.

The question posed in this post was, “Who are these people?"

Uh, that’ll be me.

So, according to this article, I think I have this “2%” problem. Granted, those of us who believe we are in the 2% group might also have ADHD, but I am not a doctor so I won’t go there.

The real issue is that our minds won’t stop thinking, questioning, and solving. We can focus on more than one thing at a time and the quality does not diminish or get lost, in fact, it gets better. If I am tasked with doing only one thing, I will constantly noodle with it.

Doing more than one thing at any given time frees my mind. I am not talking about texting and driving. I’m talking about walking on a treadmill, talking on the phone, and typing a novel at the same time.

I can have three computers open working on three different projects at the same time. Call me weird and crazy, but I thrive this way. I don’t get bogged down with just one thing. My thoughts flow freely between projects, revealing more insight and dimension to each. I tend to complete projects sooner than expected when I work this way.

However, the downside is I am often super busy for an extended period of time. When I am working, my husband says, “Tasha is in her lab.” Meaning, I am so deeply engrossed in whatever tasks I am doing that you would think I am trying to find out which physics equation will allow us to travel to the edge of the universe and back. I take on tasks like I am trying to solve a handful of the world’s deepest problems. It’s exhilarating, and IT’s GREAT!

And yet, I was told to try yoga.

Yoga is great. It calms the mind, engages various chakras and energy flows, and you can access all parts of the mind, body, and soul. I love the concept. The reason I don’t resonate with the practice of yoga is due to the silence and stillness it requires.

To only focus on one thing, like the breath, is not easy for me. My mind goes wandering. For example: Imagine we are in a 60-minute yoga class. Shhh… it’s just starting now. My first thought is, “What do I do after I get into this pose that I have to hold for 60 seconds?”

Well, I have 57 seconds to think about the following --- and this is only an excerpt of what goes on in my head. “What should I eat after class? How many emails I am getting right now? Eureka, I got the answer on how to improve my idea. Am I doing this pose right? Is there an experiential Martial Arts film tour company in China? If not, I should start one. Who should I send kudo emails to this week?” And more.

My mind just won’t slow down no matter how hard I try. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I just wish I was able to write down my thoughts since I will probably forget them soon. We still have 50 more minutes to go of this class, which means about 100 more ideas will flow through my head before we are done, and I am sure a few of them will be game-changing. Urgh. I really wish I had a pad and pen right now. Class is over.

Staying present is a problem for me, obviously.

Is that even possible? Can someone be present in the moment and not have other thoughts? Master Yogis and Buddhas spend their lives practicing this. Can it be done? I watched an episode of Expedition Unknown where doctors examined Deepak Chopra’s brain as he closed his eyes and meditated. A single section of his brain was active, ‘present,’ and others were not. He was able to quiet his brain! Fascinating.

Guided meditation is good. It gets my brain all active and buzzing.

Meditation apps like Calm are cool. Guided meditation apps and videos are also good. What I like about these tools is that my mind is energized even more when I use them. I’m not sure if that was the intention of these tools, but I really believe that if I continue using these types of apps I will come up with some really good ideas and solutions. 

Note to self: Make sure you have a pen and pad at the ready and don’t forget to pause the mediation session to jot down your ah ha’s.

Question the instructions.

We live in a world that is open to new ideas and new ways of doing things and being creative – at least, I hope so. Yet, we somehow still look for the how-to instructions. Instructions from which to create parameters or a framework to judge the outcome. If we pause a guided meditation to think about something else, are we doing something wrong?

The instructions say to find a quiet place in which to listen to the meditation in its entirety. And yet, I was told in the world of meditation that there is no right or wrong but just not to tune out in the middle of a meditation chant. Oh, ok.

The current trend is to mono focus and not multitask. Current productivity articles and posts talk about staying focused on one task or how to not be a multitasker. That means multitaskers are, for now, in the shadows lurking around corners with a pen and pad recording their thoughts on their phone’s voice memo app, jotting down ideas, and emailing colleagues while listening to podcasts. And while our super-power is undercover, for now, always remember this.

We are valuable, we have unique gifts, and we always come through in the clutch. We always see the big picture and know how ALL pieces of the puzzle fit together. Not everyone has this super-power. You are special!

This post is an homage to my friend and other people like me who are faced with uncertainty and mixed messages about multitasking. Stay true to who you are! There is no need to change. You ARE the gift. ---Tasha

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