Much Ado About Nothing (Much)

Some might call my current obsession sinful, immoral, unAmerican, even selfish and lazy, but I prefer to think of it as a lifestyle choice.

My obsession: mono-tasking (as in the opposite of multi-tasking), and it is my attempt to take back some of the time, energy, and focus that work and other distractions relentlessly bleed from me.



For a number of years now, researchers have warned that multitaskers, and particularly those who believe they are master multitaskers, are really not as productive as they believe themselves to be. Experience would seem to bear this out -- if we aren't too distracted to pay attention, that is. Techie toys have certainly contributed to the problem, creating the possibility -- and frequently the expectation -- that we can be connected to friends, family, work, and the greater world all the time. With or without cell phones, e-mail, and other battery-operated enablers, however, the culture itself seems to have pushed many of us into a "I can do it all" kind of frenzy.

Well, perhaps I can do it all . . . but I really don't want to.

I'm still very much a novice* at this learning to do one thing at a time. And I'm exploring possible connections between my propensity for procrastination and my desire to accomplish more by doing less, particularly when it comes to those tasks I have, rather than want, to do. I've tried all sorts of "time management" tricks, constructed "to do" lists out the wazoo, and purchased day planners and such, but these only serve to overwhelm me -- not to mention that "getting organized" is just one more giant thing To Do. Or not.

My guru in this quest is one Marc Lesser, whose book "Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less" is a sort of Zen counter-manifesto to Stephen Covey's "7 Habits..." The thing I like about Lesser's (great name, by the way!) approach is that rather than apply business practices to everyday life, he applies everyday wisdom to everyday life - which just so happens to include the business world, a realm where I spend a miserable 40 hours or more each week. I'm all for finding a way to achieve some sort of satisfaction -- a sense of accomplishment, even -- from writing reports that won't be read, enabling various dysfunctional behaviors among my colleagues, and doing more work for what is essentially less money every year, all while answering e-mails and updating the Institute's FaceBook page and doing marketing so I can keep this job that I can't stand. At this point, my chief comfort comes in being able to step back from the craziness and letting things that truly aren't my problem not be my problem. Om.

And if this attitude creates more work for someone else, well, they're welcome to borrow my copy of Lesser's book.



(* while writing this post, I also gave myself a pedicure, "liked" 2 bands on FaceBook, drank a cup of coffee, and of course, checked e-mail. Baby steps.)