Transcriber: Caroline Fregadolli Gomes Reviewer: Peter Van de Ven
So picture this:
April 2020, a work-from-home mom
who’s used to working home by herself without pants
is now sharing her workspace with two preteen boys
and a brand new husband who has been temporarily laid off.
You know, it’s okay, right? I can do all the things.
I will be a cafeteria lady, and I will also assist with homework.
I will run my business, and I will also be a career counselor.
I can do this, right?
Until I couldn’t.
Until I realized I was failing everyone
including myself.
Missed deadlines with clients,
my children and husband feeling neglected,
and my self-care was definitely feeling neglected.
So I decided to quit,
not the kids or the husband, even though that was close,
(Laughter)
but I decided to quit multitasking,
and I transitioned to something I like to call mindful tasking.
And I hope by the end of this talk,
I maybe convince you to come over to my side.
So here’s a few reasons why.
Well, first let’s talk about what mindfulness is.
Because it’s a term that’s thrown around so often,
but mindfulness is simply being present with our bodies,
being present in the now, being present with our breath.
It doesn’t cost a thing. Right?
So, I know the thought of adding something else to your to-do list,
because who has time to go to a yoga class?
Add up all the things to do.
But if you incorporate this with your day-to-day tasks,
with mindful tasking, it’s nothing else added to your list.
So, let’s talk about why multitasking actually isn’t good for you,
and I like to say it sucks.
A study done by Harvard University
showed that 40% of the time, our minds are wandering,
which means since I’ve started talking for these last few minutes,
your minds have probably started wandering,
maybe to my dress,
maybe you’ve thought about what you’re doing after this.
But it’s okay.
This isn’t to shame you. It’s a normal thing.
We aren’t machines; our minds wander from time to time.
But think about that.
When you’re trying to do multiple tasks at once,
are you really able to give your full focus,
your attention, your power
to your project at hand if you have multiple tabs in front of you?
Any of us ever send off an email without the attachment
because we’re busy doing a webinar and a text message and all the things?
Right? (Laughs)
I know I have.
So let’s unsubscribe.
Another reason why multitasking absolutely sucks
is that it’s bad for our bodies.
A study done by the University of California
showed that their employees who were doing the webinars, the emails, all the things,
versus those who are singular tasked,
had higher heart rates.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for that.
We need to take care of our bodies, prioritize our health.
The third reason why multitasking is a no-go
is that it’s harming our personal relationships.
Maybe it’s just me, but who has been there
where you have been maybe working on a to do list,
maybe making dinner,
and your kid is telling you about their day from school,
and you're like, uh huh, uh huh.
And then you’ve uh huh-ed to something you had no business uh huh-ing to.
Because you were not present.
Or maybe you’ve been on the opposite end of that,
wanting to share an exciting idea
or a trip you wanted to go on with your spouse,
and the next thing you just look up
and they’re on social media, scrolling away.
We all know how that feels.
It’s time to turn back, inward, to slow down.
So what is this mindful tasking?
How do I actually make this work?
You simply include mindfulness into what you’re doing every day.
Let’s start with brushing your teeth,
because I hope everyone’s doing that every day.
(Laughs)
Let’s start with that.
A great way to do mindful tasking is when you grab the toothpaste
and grab your toothbrush,
maybe you take a moment before you get started
to just greet yourself in the eye,
to maybe look at yourself in the mirror and set your intention for the day.
Man, today is going to be awesome.
Man, yesterday wasn’t so good,
but I’m letting that go as I turn on this faucet water.
Yeah, there’s kids running up and down the hall,
but right now, this is my moment to take care of me.
And I love prioritizing moments taking care of me.
That is how you turn that into a mindfulness moment.
Maybe it’s when you’re making your coffee,
and you just take time to smell the coffee.
Maybe you take time to give gratitude to where the beans came from,
the farmers.
That’s how you make that mindful.
Maybe in traffic,
when you’re at that red light or you’re ready to go,
maybe that’s the time to slow down, pause and take a breath.
So, okay, since I am a meditation teacher,
I am going to take you through a quick meditation.
This is something that you can do maybe tonight when you go to bed
or maybe first thing in the morning.
So I invite you right now to close your eyes --
this is a safe space --
(Laughs)
maybe feel the surface beneath you as your body sinks into your chair,
maybe taking a moment
and making sure your feet are planted flat on the floor beneath you
and just taking a deep breath in through your nose
and exhaling through your mouth.
Repeating that a few times
and maybe taking a moment to set an intention for your evening,
or if you do this in the morning, for your morning.
Just taking a moment to be with your breath,
to be with your body,
maybe scanning your forehead to see,
“Can I bring a little more relaxation here,
a little more ease?”
“Can I drop my jaw a little bit more in this moment?”
“Maybe if my tongue is on the roof of my mouth, can I let that fall?”
And take another deep breath in,
maybe placing your hand on your chest
and your other hand on your belly.
And on your next exhale, I invite you to open your eyes.
In less than one minute,
you have practiced mindfulness and meditation.
With consistency, this will prove to benefit your health in so many ways:
lower blood pressure, increased creativity, better sex.
There’s so many reasons why you might want to join me
on team Mindful Tasking.
So be a rebel.
Let’s tell multitasking,
“We are done with you, and we’re coming over to mindful tasking.”
Because if we’re being honest,
you’re not that good at it anyways.
(Applause)