Embracing the Beauty of Monotasking

06/30/2017

Embracing the Beauty of Monotasking

Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make — bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake — if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.
Lemony Snicket, The Austere Academy

"Ask 10 people to define 'mindfulness,' and you'll likely get 10 different responses. But the basic concept of the word is straightforward. It's about putting down our juggling balls for a little bit. It’s about embracing the beauty of monotasking." In her article, "Why Every Mind Needs Mindfulness," in the recent Time magazine supplement, "Mindfulness: The New Science of Health and Happiness," author Mary Elizabeth Williams goes on to explain the health benefits of practicing a more mindful way of being: "The perks of mindfulness are tangible. The American Psychological Association cites it as a hopeful strategy for alleviating depression, anxiety and pain…

'I think there’s been a kind of confusion in our culture where people have felt that they have to be anxious, uptight and always on the go to be effective,' says psychologist and author Daniel Goleman, whose groundbreaking best sellers include Emotional Intelligence and The Meditative Mind…everyone's multitasking like crazy – the more you do it, the worse it gets.'" Williams explains her personal definition of mindfulness and monotasking: "Mindfulness for me has meant purging a slew of apps from my phone and my notifications from almost everything. It’s meant overcoming my dread of boredom and sometimes going out for a run without listening to music…It’s been taking a moment to sniff a tomato before chopping it for a salad."

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