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This was published way in Deccan Herald in 2018. Mindfulness was rather a new concept then.
My sisters and I were somewhat of an anomaly in our maternal side. We grew up to a constant refrain that our hands should be busy rather than our mouth. We emulated our mother, yet retained the ‘magpie’ tendency of our paternal side. We multi-tasked with aplomb.
We watched TV while peeling peas, or pressing our clothes. Now, my new-found obsession is crochet. Most women had to multi-task at some time in their lives. They were donning so many hats and that was expected of them. I have seen women in Mumbai trains chopping vegetables, stitching buttons or knitting. Because of this tendency to multitask, most of the women were prone to stress and anxiety leading to physical ailments. As my cousin quipped of his octogenarian mother, “her mind is already on a chore in the kitchen while her body was in the drawing room, hence she goes about with her head bent forward like an ostrich and has a hump like a camel!”
Most people pride themselves on their ability to multi-task. There was a time when this talent was considered an asset. But of late, the concept of multi-tasking has given way to mindfulness. Being in the present is touted to be all powerful. It declutters our thoughts and helps us expend less energy. It keeps stress at abeyance, helps us to be more humane. It also makes us more productive.
According to psychology today, mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present. When you are mindful, you carefully observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to your current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future. But, these days, social networking sites have taken away that privilege, instead they have made distraction the norm.
Taming the mind, an ancient Buddhist technique, is easy to imbibe only if we know how to. Simple tasks like avoiding channel surfing, sipping a cup of tea on the balcony while keeping our mobile at a distance all help in practicing this tool.
It is said that listening to a complete conversation without planning your reply is supposed to work wonders. A few restaurants in Hyderabad and Mumbai have started a concept of dinner without distraction and encourage patrons to keep their mobile phones at a distance, and enjoy a rebate for their meal.
Despite the obvious benefits of mindfulness, the women folk would find it difficult to let go of the inherent quality of the more entrenched ‘M’ while the men would have it easier as they never actually grasped the art of multi-tasking nor were expected to!
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
This was published in Deccan Herald in 2018.
https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/mindful-multi-tasker-667372.html
16 comments
Such an interesting read! I’ve always thought multitasking was a superpower, but mindfulness makes so much sense. Loved the bit about listening without planning a reply, definitely something to practice!
I used to multitask, until one day I burned my fave Borosil kettle. I was so busy writing that I forgot I had put it on the gas to make hibiscus tea. Since then, I have been doing one task at a time. Takes a little more time, but less stressful. I think everyone should be easy on themselves. Mindfulness is good.
I am a die-hard multitasker and I am mindful about it :) I think we women are blessed to be able to juggle so many roles and duties. men, unfortunately can concentrate on only the task at hand as you rightly stated.
My mind becomes a mess when I try to multitask. I don’t understand why we do it when the brain is designed to focus on just one task at a time. You’ve expressed this so brilliantly! Another golden takeaway for me is the practice of being a good listener—listening patiently, not just to respond.
In today’s era u are forced to be multitasking. But you also need to keep your brain alert. at a time 1-2 thibgs aleast need to be managed. But when you want to really enjoy something special special or specific Yes I agree we should say no to any digital aps in our lives.
It’s such a great reminder to just be in the moment and not let distractions take over. These days, whenever I try multitasking, my brain just freezes – probably because of perimenopause. loved the idea of sipping tea without distractions; I definitely need to do more of that. Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful post.
Insightful post. Yeaa…I admit I am multitasking mom. Aa I have to. But when it comes to kids I deliberately put my phone distance away from me. When I have some urgent work and if I am playing with my kids my kiddo ask me to put phone down. And that is Mindfulness. Without phone our mind is peaceful.
I call it juggling rather than multi-tasking and I was never good at it. My mother would knit or chop vegetables while in front of the TV or hear me rattle out multiplication tables while washing clothes , but I am OK with taking one thing at a time.Maybe she had three kid sto handle and no domestic help so her hands were too full unlike me.
true. Mindfulness vs multi tasking. My own brain can’t just do one thing at a time. Perhaps multi tasking comes naturally to it!! But I have been thinking about trying to be more mindful and focus on one thing at a time – but easier said than done.
Mindful multi-tasking is kind of an oxymoron. But what if you can do multiple tasks mindufully? For example, when you are working in the kitchen, you have to run multiple recipes at the same time. Otherwise, you will remain in the kitchen for whole day if you keep working on one recipe at a time.
Multitasking is a total myth and like you, realised it quite late in my life. This article of yours reinstates my belief in being mindful on one task rather than trying to do too many things at once. Very relevant topic!
I’ve always believed multitasking is a superpower, but this post made me rethink how mindfulness plays a role in it! Juggling multiple things at once can be overwhelming, but being present in the moment makes all the difference. It’s interesting how the right balance between focus and efficiency can turn chaos into productivity. I love the perspective shared here—it’s a reminder to be intentional even while doing a million things.
You’re right. Our minds are always so occupied with a 100 things. Even if the phone is not in our hands, I doubt we can mindfully sip coffee/tea standing in the balcony and being in the moment….have to try it.
That’s quite an interesting take on multitasking. While women pride on being able to don many hats at once, do we really take a moment and be un-hat for once? I guess not. Mindfulness isn’t easy to practice but can be so cathartic!
Being mindful is something that has become so relevant these days and for the right reasons. I loved your take on it.
I love multitasking and I also done everything by mindfully being present at the moment. I loved reading your views on this