Do you really want to do deep and meaningful work? Supercharge your effectiveness 1000X by dumping “multitasking” and embracing “unitasking” instead.

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash

To go really deeply into anything is scary. Because it necessarily requires us to be ruthlessly saying no to all other shallow stuff, while we are engaged with the deep work in front of us.  It means abandoning the “multitasking” mindset that we have been brainwashed into believing or trained by modern technology into functioning.

 

The default mode of most people is now “multitasking” because they are connected to the world constantly. Basically they are giving permission to every Tom, Dick and Harry to take away their attention any moment. Emails, texts, tweets, Facebook notifications, mobile phone calls,………..and hundreds other incoming distractions.

 

What feels like busyness, actually is just contamination. The pure and clear mind that started off with a serious task soon forgets what it is really doing. And all this shallow stuff flying in and out of us feels good at the beginning, and it becomes addictive and then we are pulled down by the low energy of it all and we begin to feel that we are basically incapable to doing anything deep, and anything well. We begin to feel we don’t deserve a good outcome in what we do.

 

We have all been there.

 

Yes, multitasking is the enemy of focus. Multitasking is the enemy of productivity.

 

It took me a while to realise that and see it. One I did see it. I cannot unsee it.

 

Once I realised that. I only allow the “unitary” into my consciousness.

 

I start off the day by consciously keeping all my “smart gadgets” off. They can all carry on sleeping while I do my deep work.

 

When I have done my at least 2 hours (or how many hours I decide is needed)  of deep work. I will decide when to wake up my “smart gadgets” and just do the minimum required to reply to the critical messages which matter and send the “smart gadgets” back to sleep.  

 

I’m curious, how many of you are prepared to try to leave the mess of “multitasking land” and try out the pure and uncontaminated land of “unitasking” and see if it works better for your happiness, effectiveness and self-esteem? How many of you are prepared to investigate  another way of being?