Photograph by mindluge
Well no actually I’m not becoming a Zen monk. Or even a Zen nun. But since I read this post by the great Leo Babauta I’ve been trying, and mostly failing, to stick with his rules for trying to live more like a Zen monk.
There are twelve rules, and I’m still struggling with the first:
Do one thing at a time. This rule (and some of the others that follow) will be familiar to long-time Zen Habits readers. It’s part of my philosophy, and it’s also a part of the life of a Zen monk: single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
Well I think it’s also Buddhists who say the teacher will come along when the student is ready, and this habit clearly has something to teach me.
(And I must confess right now, that between typing the last paragraph and the next, I slipped downstairs to put a pot of water on to heat for pasta.)
Before reading Leo’s post on the 18th March, I’d been quite proud of my multi-tasking abilities, my attempts to maximise productivity (which somehow live side-by-side with a world-class procrastination habit). Waiting for something to load on the computer? Read a paragraph of my book. Talking to someone on the telephone? Scan through my emails. Eating supper? Find something to watch on television, even if I don’t really want to watch it.
And of course it means that the words of the book are rushed and have no savour, the telephone conversation happens without my full presence, my mind is bombarded with televised rubbish and I don’t taste my food.
More insidiously, this becomes a habit of scattered attention and feeds the procrastination. If you’re used to interrupting what you’re doing to focus on something else for a minute, it becomes all too easy to interrupt that important task with a glance at the news, a quick check of Google Reader to see if there are any good new Lolcats up, add a comment to someone’s post. Before you know what’s happened, it’s the end of the day, the main task isn’t done and that horrible anxiety starts to gnaw.
So I’m trying really hard to do one thing at a time, mindfully. When I can do it, the experience is great. It really adds quality and savour to life. And it’s not slower overall. I get just as much done, if not more.
And most importantly life feels more measured, calmer, more reflective, more spacious. All of which are monastic ideals, Zen or not.
If you have time, head over to read the whole of Leo’s post. I think you’ll enjoy it.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, thanks for the link to this post. I resonate with all 12 items on the list. I need all 12 items on the list. I want all 12 items on the lost to be the way I live my life.
Oh, bravo! This is exactly what I needed to read today. I strive to do this, and advise others to do this, and then I forget and slip back into my multi-tasking habits. Life is sweeter and things are so much simpler if you just ‘do what you’re doing’. Thank you for this post.
I once gave a reflection at the Chapel on single-tasknig as my discipline for Advent. I gave it a try, but it is devilishly difficult, as you point out. Got people talking, though.
Single-tasking is the new black
Hello Tess. This is a great commentary on this Zen Habits’ post. I had starred it in my Google Reader when it was first published. It also really spoke to me because multi-tasking has become an ingrained habit. I used to only do it at work. Now I do it in nearly every context (except driving).
So for the next 15 minutes, I am going to comment on blogs ONLY — not check my email, not check Google Reader, not work on a blog post, not talk to my mom on the phone while I type.
…actually, I *am* a Zen monk, a priest ordained in 2005. And then, I gave birth to my first child at the verrry end of 2006. And now? I am reading this post (and its parent) thinking, hmmm. Wow, yeah, those are some great ideas!
I’ve often faulted myself for not planning ahead, but I suppose the planning itself can be done single-mindedly rather than while showering, driving, etc. Hmmm. Definitely worth thinking about.
Being ‘in the moment’ has been helpful to me in the past. Thanks for drawing me back to an old practice and to several new ones.
I’m glad this commentary and Leo’s post resonated with so many of you.
Sue, I thought pink was the new black, so is single-tasking the new pink?
Pilar, welcome and thank you for commenting and by doing so introducing me to your lovely blog.
My husband is a unitasker and he drives me absolutely insane! Me, I’m a multitasker….except in two areas: when I am writing, that’s all I’m doing, writing; and, when I am reading, that is all I’m doing, reading. Everything else requires a buddy system….
Rebecca, enjoyed your comment. I might post more on the gender aspect later this week.
Pink is the new black? really? I can’t keep up!
I guess really, single-tasking should be the new white, really, don’t you think?