A day for doing one task at a time

Just observe yourself, for instance, while you talk to a friend, your spouse or your child.

• How long could you sustain a thread of conversation for, without interruption or diverting to another point? Don't exclude even the smallest break...
• While talking, did anyone got a cell phone and start to do something there?
• Did anyone started to look at a television, their computer or a tablet? Slightly?
• Maybe outside?

I am sure you see the patterns there... They have been forming for many decades now as our attention has been decreasing in alarming ways.

Without noticing, we are becoming six-second-attention people and its effects on our society can be huge. The reason is that our society is based on relationships; relationships are based on conversations, and conversations are based on dedication and focus.

If you want to help this pattern shifts, I have a suggestion that may help you: have a day without any interruption.

A trick for that is doing a task at a time. I was inspired by a true story: during the Vietnam war, a young man to be recruited was sharing with his Buddhist master about all the dreams he had. While sharing, he was eating mandarin orange; his master noticed that before finishing eating one segment, he had already put another one in the mouth. So, the master told him to finish eating a segment, then go on putting another one... The young man did it, but not only with the mandarin. He also did it with his own dreams: speaking about one, sensing it and only then talking about another one.

There is still a debate if we can do more than one task at a time. Although some say yes and even share ways of doing it, others say that our brains - the most spectacular computer in the universe - can only deal with one thought... Well, until they  decide it, just experience a day where you start something, enjoy it and finish it.

Try it. Do something from beginning to the end, and only that thing (OK, maybe you can hear some baroque music while working...). It will probably be a slow day, so chose it carefully (don't upset your boss!). While doing it, check your thoughts and enjoy the experience of starting, developing it, enjoying it and finishing it... Try your best to have one thought, one emotion and one situation at a time.

A skill you will develop by doing it is concentration. It will be natural after a few hours and with that concentration, you will start to be able to focus when others are talking with you. You will be interested in their stories and lives and just get merged into it.

Slowly, you will help to recover the very basic of our society.

By doing. All. One thing. At a time.