Can you do two things simultaneously?

Recently, I needed to get my car inspected. The shop I went to was busier than usual, and I asked John, the owner, why there were so many cars. He said, “The best thing for my business is texting.”

I always thought I could do two things simultaneously, especially on the phone before FaceTime. Tidy up my desk. Sneak a peek at emails. Or on a Saturday, fold clothes, wash dishes…You too?

There is so little time to finish things, so I’m just being efficient if I do two simultaneously.  Right? That’s my excuse. I love to-do lists. If I finished something not on the list, I added it and crossed it off.  At the end of the day, I review how much I completed—a good idea, but not the main one.

I recall speaking with a family member who droned on about something he’d covered many times before. But then there were tears. I had no idea what caused the emotional change. How could I miss what was said? A moment of distraction caused my absence. I stopped what I was doing to focus on the call.

Do we learn from our mistakes? I accept that I can’t do two things simultaneously and do them both well. Is completing three tasks and being present to listen to family, friends, and work partners better than completing five?

How do we break from doing two things at once? Perhaps it is a failure, like mine and that phone call.

My word for the year is “Listen.” I think the nudge in my heart to choose this word was to ensure I learned the lesson.

We have some wonderful guidance about focusing our attention.

“Pay attention, my children! Follow my advice, and you will be happy.” Proverbs 8:32.

“If you have ears, pay attention!” Matthew 11:15.

To avoid multitasking, we can treat others as we wish to be treated.

In her book Live These Words, Lucinda Secrest McDowell shares a story about when she was a communications editor for an international religious organization to convene on Spreading the Word.

The conference took place in Thailand. Two U.S. attendees got in late and went straight to their shared room. In the morning, they discovered their room looked out on a parking lot. One attendee said, “Oh no, we got the terrible view.” And his roommate responded, “Isn’t that wonderful? Our brothers and sisters from the Third World who have so little will get a chance to enjoy a beautiful sight this morning.”

What an amazing response. When we think of the interests of others, our entire perspective changes. Even cheering when someone else has something we don’t. There is no bigger gift in the interest of others than giving our full attention to what a person is saying.

When we think of others, we can remember this verse when tempted to focus on two things simultaneously.

Do you still multitask? Is it working? Are you the recipient of someone’s lack of attention while they multitask? Maybe what the research is right. From the Clevland Clinic website:

“The more we multitask, the less we actually accomplish, because we slowly lose our ability to focus enough to learn,” Dr. Kubu says. “If we’re constantly attempting to multitask, we don’t practice tuning out the rest of the world to engage in deeper processing and learning.”

Being present in our lives will enrich us. Henri Nouwen said, “The friend who cares makes it clear that whatever happens in the external world, being present to each other is what really matters.”

In what ways have you learned to be present in the moment? Please share how you’ve learned to focus. To listen to our neighbors, family, and friends. In what ways do you undo the multitasking habit?

Bob Goff, an author and speaker wrote, “Perhaps that’s why Jesus is called Immanuel – ‘God with us.’ I think that’s what God had in mind, for Jesus to be present, to just be with us. It’s also what He has in mind for us when it comes to other people.”

While writing this, I stopped to take a phone call, even though I was tempted to continue editing. I had to smile and turned away from the screen.   

Blessings to you as we practice being present.