Ruin your own brain or not. Take a break from multitasking

Today is a bad day. Something is wrong with the water system in the house. The pipes started whistling in the middle of the night. I was awake. And - startled out of a deep sleep - couldn't go back to sleep for a long time. And in the morning, because there was no water, I couldn't even take a shower.

Rubbish. That's how my head felt all morning. Fragmented. Without the strength to think clearly. I tried to concentrate. I only succeeded at times.

On the way from one room to the next, I forgot what I actually wanted to do there. I could no longer make clear decisions - is what I've just written good enough or not?

Multitasking is just as bad for the brain as lack of sleep

The experience was made even worse by the knowledge of something I had read a few days ago about scientific research findings: multitasking, i.e. switching quickly between different tasks, has just as negative an effect on the brain as a night without sleep!

A muddy head, lack of concentration, poor decision-making, memory loss - it feels awful. You're good for nothing. And I do all this to myself forvoluntary when I jump back and forth between tasks, texts and emails!

Quickly check Facebook and your account balance, then pack a parcel or send a text message. I ask myself:

• Am I insane?
• And more importantly, how can I stop this madness?

A thought that I'd been having for a few days matured into an ironclad decision. I'm going to take the plunge during Lent.

7 weeks without multitasking

• Finishing texts without checking emails in between.
• Ignore the mobile phone when I talk to people.
• Staying with a task until I have completed it
• When eating, only food.
• ...

What does giving up multitasking have to do with the pre-Easter period of Lent?

Lent is an invitation to give up something in order to learn to focus and concentrate on the essentials again.

The Bible tells the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10. Martha was full of restlessness and hecticness and was busy »serving« Jesus. She had no sympathy for the supposed inactivity of her sister Mary, who sat with Jesus and listened to him. Full of presence and attentiveness, with her focus clearly on him.

It is interesting to hear what Jesus says to Martha: »You are at much worried, but only one is important. But Maria has one chosen.«

Was Martha possibly the first victim of multitasking, of trying to do everything at the same time or, because that is not possible, of jumping back and forth at great speed? Catching a word from Jesus, then quickly stirring the sauce, shouting a few instructions to Lazarus, greeting guests, cutting bread. All as quickly as possible.

Jesus says analogously: Only one thing is important at a time.

It is important to decide what is important now. Maria has made up her mind. She has decided: The one thing I consider most important right now is to learn from Jesus. I will concentrate on that now. I will leave everything else for this time.

Incidentally, Martha was capable of learning. When her brother Lazarus died some time later, she hears that Jesus is nearby. She leaves everything behind, not even caring about the funeral guests in her house.

She knows that now only one The important thing is to be with Jesus. She runs off. To be with him. And has a profound encounter with him. And Mary? She was sitting at home at the same time and was with the guests. And only joined them later.

Like Martha, I want to learn to always focus on the one thing that is most important right now.

Searching for clues: What tempts me to multitask

I want to get to the bottom of what tempts me to multitask so that I can successfully resist the temptation and learn to concentrate more on the one thing that is important at any given time.

What do you think?

• Why do we jump back and forth so much?
• What makes us addicted to rapid change?

I'm looking forward to your comments.

I write more on the Down to Earth blog General information about multitasking.