By Christopher Emmanuel
Energy flows where attention goes
Just the other day I almost had an accident with another biker. She was plugged into her ipod while on her bike. Riding behind me she didn’t notice I had slowed down and signaled to turn. Fortunately I noticed her in my peripheral vision and was able to turn just in time to avoid a collision.
San Pedro is such a colorful place with quaint nooks and characters, it surprises me when I see young people tuning out of the environment. Don’t get me wrong, listening to music is great, and I do it myself, but I find it hard to see how one could enjoy music and focus on the road while riding a bike. Not only is it dangerous, but it also takes you away from the now moments, in your life.
Today the world’s technology gives us the illusion that we can do more than one thing at a time. But did you know the computers we use do one thing at a time. It only does it faster in nano seconds and gives the illusion that it’s doing many things at the same time.
Many people live for multitasking. They feel they would get nothing done without it. They watch TV, read a book and talk on the phone all at the same time. According to new studies: multitasking actually makes you less efficient than if you concentrated on one thing at a time.
If you don’t believe me try this: Next time you are writing an email, try talking to someone at the same time. It’s hard to do and you will find that you forget what you are talking about on both ends. Truth is our brain is wired to focus on one thing at a time.
If you want to get more out of work and play, focus on one thing at a time and I guarantee you will maximize you progress and your pleasure in daily life.
Below are some productivity tips to get more effective with your time.
Practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness is filling your mind with focus on the task at hand. In other words become the dishes when you are washing them. If you’re mindful, time slows down. You get more done, enjoy things more, and feel less stress. These are big claims, but anyone who’s practiced mindful meditation or, like me, mindful walking, will swear it’s true.
Plan less on your to-do list: A lot of us get stuck because everything on our to-do list is overwhelming. Pare down your list to only what you absolutely need to do.
Do what you are passionate about first: Why? Because when you’re enthusiastic about something you’re better at it, and you don’t mind trying harder and putting more time into it. It’s the work you don’t really want to do that you put off or do slowly and without much attention.
Do important things first: Make two list, the important list and not so important list. Examples of important items on your list could be learning new skills, finding a new relationship (or working on the one you have), or starting a new project. Note that these items are for you, as you accomplish your personal list you will feel better about helping others along the way.
Focus on what matters the most: Just because you’re getting something done doesn’t mean it matters. In the long run, you’ll feel better about the time you spend if you’re doing the items that make a difference to what you want to achieve.
Books by Christopher Emmanuel can be purchased at his Art Gallery in The Sunbreeze Hotel , Art of Touch, Pages Book Store, Black orchid Spa and Sol Spa.
