Multitasking: The Demise of Our Culture

I've said it for as long as I can remember: the only people who have any business multitasking are bartenders and waiters. Everyone else is just screwing up.

I still believe that.

Bartenders and waiters must multitask if they are to be any good at their jobs. As a bartender, you've got to be able to make several drinks at once, hear the next order coming in, acknowledge the new folks walking through the door, let them know you'll be "right with you", and then....deliver drinks, pick up empties, take more orders, fill orders for your waiters, and then....all over again. It ain't easy if you don't have the ability to focus. I know this because I was a bartender for many years. And I was a damned good one.

Waiters are pretty much in the same boat; only with slightly different tasks. But overall, it's the same deal. You've got to have a good memory, fantastic focus, and, if you want to make any kind of decent money, a terrific personality. You can't let the Cranky Pants get you down. You can't let the temperamental chefs fuck with your flow. You must must must stay calm, keep smiling, and remember every word, request, new seating, what's coming, what's done, and keep 'em all happy while you're doing all that. Again, not even close to "easy". Unless you're built for it.

As for all the rest, near as I can tell, if you're trying to do more than one thing at a time, you are more than likely doing every one of those tasks half-assed. People like to think they can multitask well, but mostly...they aren't even close to good at it. And there's a very good reason for this:

Your brain just isn't wired for focusing on more than one thing at a time.

Period.

How bartenders and waiters can do what they do, especially if they're really good at it, defies physiology. It really does. I'm not going to cite all the hundreds of proofs there on the matter, (you can look it up yerself if'n you don't believe me; and don't bother with the critique of those spellings. It's all on purpose.), but you can believe that I've done my homework on the subject. Why?, you ask? (okay.. maybe you didn't ask; I'm going to tell you anyway.) Because I really dislike when I read someone's "opinion" on a matter, and then find out that it was just that: an opinion. I prefer to read stuff that is based on facts, regardless of how fleeting said facts may be. In any case, I'm saying that I've done my homework on this particular subject and the proof is in the pudding:

Your brain just isn't wired for multitasking.

So then...why does everyone continually insist on it? Why do so many employers insist on it? Why, for Pete's sake, do we continue to argue that it can be done when the vast majority of us have experienced the downside of anyone's attempts?

For instance: call any one of a million large companies to get assistance and you will most likely be met with an automated response that will ask where you want to go, who you want to speak with, what your issue is, who you are, where you live, what your account number is, etc., etc.., etc....and then...put you on hold. Then, you get to wait for anywhere from five to forty-five minutes (ever tried calling the DMV???) listening to the most awful Muzak on the planet. All the while you're on hold, there are various other recordings that do their best to direct you to their website, or sell you something, or tell you (for the eightieth time) that "someone will be with you shortly", or, my personal favorite....simply disconnect the call.

AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

If and when you finally get a "real person", the first thing they do is ask you all the same shit you were asked by the RoboVoice at the beginning of the call. And then....they put you on hold. Again. By the time they get back to you, if you haven't thrown the phone out the window by then, you've forgotten what the hell you were calling for. Why? Because while you waited you cleaned out your closets, washed the kitchen floor, bathed the dog, watered your plants, and wrote the first five chapters of your next book. How the hell should I know why I called? Didn't I tell you that already?

Admittedly, that may not be the best analogy. I got a little carried away. As I am prone to do when I am passionate about something. But this also proves my point: whilst I was ranting, I got lost in the rant and allowed my train of thought to go where it wanted. Akin to trying to do more than one thing at once. I was trying to make a point, then tell you a story to prove the point, then...I got distracted by the story.

{I have not been a bartender OR a waiter for more than a decade. Those skills are long lost. Thank the gods!}

Anyway, the proof is all around us. Customer Service in the majority of businesses is a joke. The "quality" of goods/products we buy these days is of the poorest quality. The education system in the U.S. is the worst in history. Our kids are leaving high school and can't read, let alone build a sentence properly. They can't do simple math. Or figure out logic problems. Our teachers are being blamed but the real reason for this sad state of affairs is that they've got too many kids and not enough tools. They, too, are being demanded to multitask at a rate that would flat out kill the weakest humans. There are countless examples of this deadly social phenomenon. And if we don't do something about it soon, we're going to lose the ability to do anything well...including think. You see, it turns out that multitasking actually takes on toll on the intellect.

Gee.

Go figure.

Short of continuing this rant, I must find a way to come 'round to the Joy part. Because, after all, that is the primary reason for this Blog (remember?!) And were I to leave it to rest now, you'd be left in the lurch. Where the hell is she going? What happened to Joy is a CHOICE?!

So here it is:

We would be wise to understand that multitasking is taking its toll on our culture and our brains. We would be wise to embrace SINGLEtasking, if we are to find the quality in our lives that is so sorely missing. We can enjoy and even embrace the technology that allows us to do more than one thing at once, but that same technology would serve us even better if we were to use it with focus. Instead of opening ten tabs at a time, how about just one? How about close FaceBook and Twitter and Instagram and eBay while you're looking for the information you need to be an informed buyer before you lay down thousands of dollars on that dandy new car you've been wanting? Or maybe get off the Internet entirely while you open your Word software and write a letter to your sweet old Auntie. Perhaps you could even brave an entire day without getting online. {Take a breath here, Darlin'. It's just a suggestion. No need to panic.} Really though...when was the last time you spent an entire day OFF the Internet? Or your Smartphone? Or your Tablet? How do you suppose your Life might benefit from actually being HERE for a day, instead of flitting about Cyberspace every freakin' waking minute?

The Joy you get to choose here is using technology without having it run your Life. Spend some time outside. In the sunshine. With the trees and the birds and the wind blowing through your hair. Take a walk. Sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Stroll down the shore and pick up some shells. You know. Stuff we used to do before we had our heads buried in a screen, taking "Selfies" and telling the world every flippin' detail of our lives. Remember that?

Therein lies the Joyful Choice {should you choose to....}

Amen.

What'd I Tell Ya?

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times....{uh-oh. did you just hear your mother's voice? that is NOT where we're heading. so take a breath and let's start over....}

I think I've said it a thousand times. Maybe only 673. Either way, I've said it a bunch. You get what you focus on. Or, thoughts become things. Or...what is it you DO want?

These days it's pretty easy to get all tangled up in the Loud of Life. There are so many flippin' distractions that it could drive any sane person crazy. If you're already crazy to begin with...well, that's a whole 'nother ball game. Point is, there's just wayyyyyy too much going on and if we're not careful, we can get sucked under like the giant slurp from the Titanic's last breath. 

{Aside: it is said that many lives were lost because those in life boats were afraid to go back for those in the water lest they be "sucked under". Tragically, that was not what would have happened because when the Titanic finally disappeared into the frigid waters of the Atlantic, there was very little undertow. Just a little more useless information from the Queen of Trivia. Gee. There's a minute and a half you'll never get back. Aren't you glad you stopped by today?}

ANYway...

We were talking about getting sucked under. With all the distractions. And noise. And inanities that we call "modern life". Lots of folks do (get sucked under, that is) but there are those who use the technologies we have afforded to us in the ways they are meant to be used: to facilitate our lives, NOT to overrun them with junk we don't need. They use them to focus on what matters most, get things done more efficiently, and spend more time doing all the things that float their boats. 

{Aside number two ~ do you see a pattern developing here? Oh good. I was sure I'd lost you.}

A few weeks back I shared with you the latest book by my favorite Muse, Jill Badonsky. I kept that one pretty short and suggested ya'll go grab a copy because it is so fantastic I couldn't bare the thought of you not having it. About a week later I told you about the darling Robin Rice and her sensational Self. Also a Muse of mine. Also a fabulous human Being. In short, I've been sharing stuff that has me all fired up because I'd made up my mind that this was the year I'm going to DO instead of THINK. Not that I won't think too. But the theme here is to focus, and these ladies are gems for that sorta thing.

Then....yesterday someone shared yet another Genius Being who has, yet again, rocked my happy world with her stunning gift. Her name is Nikki. She has a blog called Fridaville. And this blog....well, lemme just say that if you have any kind of passion for the written word in its highest form...you might like to click on that link and have yourself a look around. I am telling you: she's A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Now, I realize that "awesome" is subjective. You may think that Bob Dylan is a great singer or that The Simpsons is a funny show or that neon green is cool to wear with checkered pants and a screaming orange pair of granny boots. From where I sit you would be wrong. 

{One last aside. I think. ~ BOYHOWDY! She sho' is feelin' frisky today!}

All I'm saying is, you've probably been here before. And if that's true, you've decided this place is fun enough or good enough or mindful enough for you to keep coming back. So, in that regard, we have similar tastes, yes? 

{Okay. This really IS the last Aside ~ if you HAVEN'T been here before, please don't let this be the only piece you read before leaving, never to return. The flavor here is ever-changing, but always leads us to choosing joy. That is, after all, the name of this place! Okay REALLY. I'm done with the Asides.}

So if we have similar tastes, then it might very well be worth your time to cruise on over to Fridaville, grab a cup of coffee or tea or whatever it is you sip on, and have a little set-down with this marvelous lady. You may just find your own Muse there.

Now I really am going to get to the point of this long-winded and somewhat noisy meandering: I made up my mind to focus on those things that would best nudge me along on my Creative Path. One by one, little by little, the "stuff" that nudging is made of keeps showing up. In the form of women I'm inspired by. And little surprises in the mail. And old friends I haven't seen in years. And more than I can even remember right now. LOTS of clues that the Universe is, indeed, listening. And answering. And loving us every single minute of every single day.

All we gotta do is FOCUS.

That is all.

{see? no more Asides. maybe there really IS a god.}

affirmations and other such "nonsense"...

"There is only a stream of well-being".....

Before you think about that, check your gut. How does that statement make you feel? How resistant are you to this idea? Was your reaction, "Yea. Right."? Or was it, "I can  feel that. It's truth. There is only a stream of well-being."

I pose this today because it has become clear to me that when such thoughts are relayed, should you be in a place of "less-than", words like that can really get your shorts in a twist.

On the other hand...should you happen to be in your groove, for any reason whatsoever, such words can lift you up and take you further into your groove.

Yes or no?

Here's what I mean:

You know all those zillions of "affirmation cards" that seem to be available everywhere? The ones that have those fun images and phrases like, "I am a powerful Creator. Everything comes easily to me." Or, "I am an Abundant Being. Money flows to me with no effort." Or some such.

I recall the first set of such cards I received from a dear friend many years ago. They were by Louise L. Hay of "You Can Heal Your Life" fame (among other things). The cards were nicely laminated with bright, colorful drawings and affirmations for just about everything under the sun. They came in a very sturdy little box that looks good on the shelf and keeps the cards 'safe'. As soon as I got them, I made a few cool little card holders out of some exotic wood scraps I had in my workshop. Then I carefully chose spots where I'd see the cards all day long, reminding me to "state my affirmation".

But I also remember that I was in a pretty icky place at the time. My usually-optimistic attitude had been overshadowed by a very unfamiliar cynicism. Not the best of places to live in. So every time I'd see one of the cards I'd chosen for the day, and try to use the affirmation with gusto, I'd get this loud voice in my head saying, "Yea. Right. What a bunch of crap."

After a while, I put those cards back in the box and put the box on a shelf. Didn't touch them for a long time. Every now and then, I'd dust off the box and wonder, "How come it doesn't work for me?" It was a giant
tug-of-war between me and Me. But for some reason, I never got rid of them. Just kept dusting them and putting them back on the shelf.

Then, not long ago, I heard something that really got my attention. It was Abe, talking about those "silly affirmation cards" that they'd recently made available. They were standing there, reading the affirmations and then making fun of the whole idea. It was hysterically funny. I watched that video several times, completely amused by their antics and feeling the shift as they talked about why those affirmations could never work unless you were already in a space of "allowing". In other words, if you're in a funk, there isn't an affirmation in the world that's gonna change anything. First you have to get yourself in the good-feeling place; then you can say your affirmations and feel them resonate. Made sense to me.

The thing that was so fun about the whole experience was that they purposely (and quite sarcastically) teased about their "product". They told everyone listening, "Don't buy these cards. They're not going to help you until you make up your mind to change what you're thinking...and how you feel." Shocking stuff to say about one's own products, doncha think?

But the best thing about it was that I finally realized "why" those affirmations never worked. I finally saw how futile such practices are...if I'm not deliberately focused. And really, no cards are needed. No mantras or prayers or Books of Revelations are necessary for each of us to find our groove and work our 'magick'. The magick is all around us. It's inside of us. It IS us. The only reason we don't see the results of said magick is because we're too busy fussing and worrying over dumb stuff that distracts our attention from that flow of well-being. It's really that simple.

How do I know?

Cuz I'm living it. NOW. I'm living it every single day and I can tell you this:

It's a WHOLE LOT EASIER than you may think.

So then...

where do YOU wish to focus your attention?

focus, FOCUS, F-O-C-U-S!

Recently, Jason, the founder of Jason's Network (home of the world's most beautiful people), challenged us to write something about how we got into the 'mess' we're in, and what we can do about it, from a spiritual perspective, to affect change now. Not being one to pass up a chance to write, I did just that. He asked us to limit our submissions to 200 words. Pretty challenging limit for someone like me (if you hadn't noticed before, I'm kinda 'chatty'). I managed to squeak it in at 202. Not bad. Anyway....

After I finished my little piece, I got to thinking about how, as Americans, this is brand new territory. Most of us have never lived through such an economic disaster. My parents were mere toddlers when the Great Depression struck the U.S., so they didn't have much recall. In fact, I don't know anyone (alive) in my circle of family who did (live through it). I've only ever heard stories (& read books) about what people went through. From that I learned that it was not a pretty time. Many people were forced to do things they'd never considered possible. Like giving up their kids to families that were better off, in an attempt to keep those kids fed. I'm certain that was a horrifying thing to have to do. But they did it. And lots of other things too, just because they didn't have money to feed their kids or take them to the doctor. Awful times.

Which leads me to the next thought: how is it that a nation that is reportedly the wealthiest in the world could come to such a crossroad? How is it that for all the BILLIONS of dollars in this country we could reach this point? I'll tell you how. This crap has been going on for a long, long time. It's about that minority (what is it? 3%?) of people who have all the money and make sure it stays that way. The old adage, "the rich keep gettin' richer, the poor keep gettin' poorer"... didn't just come out of nowhere. Why do you suppose it's still here in our midst now? Not a big jump, if you ask me.

Anyway, here's the thing...I happen to believe that there is no such thing as 'lack'. I believe that there is so much abundance in our time/space reality that if we were to just let go of our own limiting beliefs, EVERYONE would be a gazillionaire (if they chose). I also believe that the only reason this crap is going on is because we allowed it. I say "we" as in "we, the people". We have allowed all the fat cats to do whatever the hell they want with no recourse, with no accountability, with no limit. WE did this. And it's high time we took responsibility for it and moved on.

How? Easy. Stop looking at the "mess" & (stop) trying to fight it. Just let it go. It is said that peace begins in your own back yard. Where do you think wealth begins? Where do you think order begins? Where do you think joy begins? You guessed it...right there in your own back yard. So, what if....What if every single person in this country chose to focus on the abundance in their lives? From the indoor plumbing to the fresh drinking water to the light switch that turns on the lights. All of this is abundance. And oh-so-much more!

We are a country of innovators. This country was founded on the principles of a new order AND of anarchy. Think about it. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence were hard core anarchists. They refused to be ruled by the laws of England and took it upon themselves to break free of that rule. So what happened? It's high time we took our country back. Not by fighting or other violent means. But, instead, by offering each other the respect, peace & love that lives in all of us. By focusing on the good, not the fear. By making a choice to live freely, without judgment or blame. Sure, it'd be easy to place blame on "them"...the fat cats & their cohorts. But that's not going to change anything. Change begins with letting go of the garbage that weighs us down. Letting go of fear. Letting go. PERIOD.

It's not as hard as some may think. In fact, it seems to me that it's a far easier way to bring about the changes we so want. Thoughts become things. True? I believe so. So we can focus our thoughts on the things we wish to see...not the things we wish to eliminate. Doesn't matter what you focus on. Bottom line is whatever it is...you'll get more of it. Promise.