Photo by Jason Corneveaux
Multitasking Madness
In our increasingly hectic world, remaining fully present to the moment yet open-hearted and flexible in spirit often seems to be a contradictory and unattainable goal.
Our smartphones ping, ring, and chirp. Our computers blink and flash throughout the day and evening. We find ourselves squeezed into public transport or inching our way down a crowded highway to and from work. We coordinate transport for our children to school, sports, or other extracurricular activities. We get up early for workouts at the gym, or to catch up on chores.
When the demands on our time and attention seem unending, there is a strong temptation to try to juggle more than we can handle. While seductive, multitasking is ultimately self-defeating, as numerous new studies have shown that when our focus is fragmented, productivity is actually reduced.
Learning to live our lives with the guiding wisdom of ‘completed, but not finished’ is the natural antidote to daily stress.
Photo by Stefano Corso
Being Present
The first part of the phrase, ‘completed’, means being fully present in the moment.
Over the ages, spiritual teachers have encouraged us to quiet our minds and be in the moment. This is the path to health and well-being. Proverbs 14:30 highlights this: “ A tranquil spirit revives the body…”.
Doing one thing at a time — and learning to give that thing our complete attention — is the key to mental balance.
Mindfulness includes:
Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it.
Ram Dass
- Focusing on one task at a time.
- Doing that task slowly and with your full attention.
- Prioritizing your tasks (i.e. letting some go)
- Create breathing spaces between your tasks (having a break is seen by some nations as a requirement, e.g. the Swedish fika, the British ‘elevenses’).
- Scheduling in ‘alone’ or ‘me time’ each day.
- Training your mind to not entertain worries. The past is gone and the future is unknown. The present is now.
Marina Abramović, “The Artist Is Present” (2010)
Not Finished
Being able to keep both our heart and mind open to the world around us is the natural companion to being present, or complete in the moment. Being ‘finished’ by jumping to conclusions, rejecting out of hand others’ opinions, holding resentments and grudges, carrying prejudices, are all ways we limit ourselves and insure that we have conflict and confusion in our lives.
The only people who see the whole picture are the ones that step out of the frame.
Salman Rushdie, The Ground beneath Her Feet
Developing a silent witness or an observing self allows us to see what we are feeling and thinking. Our goal is to strengthen our capacity of inner reflection and understanding. The knowledge that change is constant encourages us to maintain our spiritual, intellectual, and emotional flexibility.
We can move away from the limitations of our ‘fight or flight’ response to the world around us. We can practice ‘letting go’, being ‘not finished’. We can reclaim our child mind and heart of openness, trust and curiosity.
Photo by Adam Baker
Staying Complete But Not Finished
Counteract the endless stress of living in a post-modern world by committing to a practice of mindfulness and self-reflective openness. Be complete in your attention and focus. Cultivate being ‘not finished’. Stay fluid in your assessment and approach.
In the end these things matter the most:
How well did you love?
How fully did you live?
How deeply did you let go?Buddha

