Daily Dharma 04: Do One Thing At A Time
June 23, 2008 by ScottyDoo
(Guest post by David from DailyDharma.net)
Day 4:Do One Thing At A Time
“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” — Josiah Gilbert Holland
Do you multitask? These days it is hard to avoid doing two, three, or even five things at once. Multitasking is the antithesis of mindful action, however, and multitasking can actually make you more stressed and less productive than if you focus on doing one thing at a time.
Photo by camincoll
Today, Do One Thing At A Time.
Here are eight ways to learn to “solo-task”.
1. Pick Your Objective – Are you writing a report? Or checking your email? Or eating your cereal? Yes, you may be doing all three, but which one is most important? First of all, choose one thing to do, and do just that.
2. Remind Yourself of Your Goal – We are so used to multitasking, solo-tasking can take effort. To keep focused, remind yourself of the one thing you want to be doing, and when the temptation comes into your mind to do something else, push the thought away. Tell yourself: “Not right now, Mind. I’m presently doing this.”
3. Think About, and Enjoy, What You’re Doing – We perform so many daily tasks without even thinking: brushing our teeth, driving to work, even greeting coworkers. Yet there are simple pleasures to be found in all of these things. The next time you brush your teeth, for example, think about brushing your teeth. Enjoy the feel of the bristles on your gums. Look at yourself in the mirror. Cherish the fact that you are taking time to care for yourself.
4. Eliminate Distractions, a.k.a. Temptations – If you frequently get sidetracked from a project by an email or phone call; turn off your email or phone. Unplug the internet if you have to. And turn off the TV when you’re eating or writing or studying.
5. Breathe – Okay, so you can allow yourself to do two things at once: you can breathe! Focus on your breath to center yourself. Take a moment before starting something, be it a project or a meal, to take several deep breaths. Doing so will calm you and allow you to focus more clearly on your objective.
6. Slow Down – Life is hectic. There is never enough time to get everything done and do everything we want. Instead of trying to get more into your day, try getting more out of your day. Slow down enough to do things well, and enjoy doing them. Be patient – with others and yourself. The difference will amaze you.
7. Plan Your Time – Set aside blocks of time to complete certain things, and protect that time. If you have a project to complete that you can’t seem to get to, block out an afternoon to do it, and don’t let anything get in the way – even an important meeting request, for example. If they ask, you’re already busy.
8. Avoid the Never-Ending To-Do List – Keep a list of the most important two or three things you want to get done each day. Everything else can wait, so it doesn’t need to clutter your desk, or your mind.
Alicia on Mon, 23rd Jun 2008 7:55 pm
ScottyDoo, I stumbled onto your blog through the Christian Buddhist group. I hope you don’t mind my reading your blog. I so needed to read this solo-tasking article because my life is nothing but multitasking and I have been feeling guilty for slowing the pace down a little lately. It’s so nice to focus on one thing at a time and give my full attention to whatever I am doing at the moment and really be in the moment and really pay attention. Well, that’s my two-cents for the day. Thank you again.
ScottyDoo on Tue, 24th Jun 2008 7:22 am
I’m glad you were able to find our little blog here. It’s open for everyone to read and post. If you have a topic you feel is worth sharing with the community then let me know and I can set you up as a contributor. Though I do the majority of the posting, I would love to see the thoughts of others. I learn so much through my peers.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Sattva on Tue, 24th Jun 2008 10:01 am
I love doing one thing at a time. It gets me into trouble. I take off and focus on that one thing, and let other important things fall away! With this new business of mine, I’m actually trying to learn to multi-task because I have to.
Here’s my rational – I’m multi-tasking mindfully.
greenfrog on Fri, 27th Jun 2008 11:25 pm
Funny. There’s an oft-told story about Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the Zen master who founded the San Francisco Zen Center. He had taught his students many times to do nothing but eat while they ate breakfast. A student visited him in his home and found him one morning reading the newspaper while drinking his tea. The student brought up his breakfast instruction, and Suzuki Roshi responded, “When you drink tea and read the newspaper, only drink tea and read the newspaper.”
Matthew on Wed, 11th Feb 2009 7:43 am
i used this technique because when i am trying to focus on something that requires a high degree of concentration or skill (street fighter for the complex movements, or playing guitar for the same reason) my mind is succeptible to focus on the next thing that happens or that i am told. this helped me focus, and block out everything else. you kind of fall into a mildly-autistic state, which is what i required at the time. thanks, this is very useful.