I Need a Brain Defragger!!
Does this sound familiar?
You’re working. You’re thinking, typing, planning, talking, and eating . . . all at the same time. A friend, a family member, a person you care about deeply, comes to where you are and says,
“I’ve just cut off my finger! I’m bleeding all over the carpet!”
A full-two minutes later, you actually hear what was said. You stare blankly into space as you try to process the message.
“Um. Oh. Did you just say something about the carpet?â€
The message had to fight through the traffic jam on the neuropathways of your multitasking brain.
Multitasking is on its way out for me. I’ve suspected for sometime it was a major source of what made me tired and cranky.
“What?!!! Who cares what we’re having for dinner?!!”
Every new and stressful detail made me wish I had a defragmenter for my brain.
Multitasking didn’t get any more done. I was just doing more at the same time. I knew that doing many things at once is not efficient. Somehow I got sucked into the multitasking vortex, anyway.
Soon enough I thought I was developing an attention deficit. Truth is I was just fragmenting my brain.
Continuous Partial Attention
That’s what it’s called, Continuous Partial Attention — CPA. Keeping our eyes and ears alert to everything, always scanning the environment in case something we need might pop onto our radar — we use multiple screens. We check for multiple priorities.
Scanning is great when what we’re doing is routine. It’s disastrous when a task requires reflection, concentration, or humanity.
“Why do you interrupt?!!! You take your life too seriously.”
We scan because of anxiety . . . we can’t miss anything. Linda Stone described it in a Newsweek interview with Stephen Levy.
. . . there’s a problem in the workplace when the interruptions intrude on tasks that require real concentration or quiet reflection. And there’s an even bigger problem when our bubble of connectedness stretches to ensnare us no matter where we are. A live BlackBerry or even a switched-on mobile phone is an admission that your commitment to your current activity is as fickle as Renée Zellweger’s wedding vows. Your world turns into a never-ending cocktail party where you’re always looking over your virtual shoulder for a better conversation partner. The anxiety is contagious . . .
I read that and I decided to make a change.
I cleared the traffic on the neuropathways of my brain. I became my own defragger. I do one thing at a time, and I get more things done and with fewer errors.
I’m breathing slower and liking myself better.
And now, when someone talks to me, they often get a human answer. I’m pretty proud of that.
Do you need to defragment your brain?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
