I'm a multi-tasker. Always have been, probably always will be. My once used resume even states, "GREAT AT MULTI-TASKING" because I genuinely do feel it is one of my better job qualifications. I find it hard to simply do one thing at a time. When in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, I'm listening to a podcast. Back in my acting days, I would memorize mine and everyone's lines and stage blocking. Even while I'm writing this, I'm eating my lunch, taking bites in between paragraphs. If I'm being perfectly honest, my brain seems to work better when I'm accomplishing more than one thing at a time. Here in the South we call it "Killing two birds with one stone."
There is absolutely nothing wrong in multi-tasking or finding ways of accomplishing multiple things at one time. Goodness gracious, Target has become royalty in helping us multi-task! Not only can you go grocery shopping, but you can fashionably clothe your family and decorate your entire home in celebrity designs as well!
As great as I feel when I'm accomplishing multiple things at once, I recently realized I could not NOT do anything.
Did you read that correctly?
I felt like I couldn't stop. My mind was packed full. My multi-tasking behavior had taken over my life and during the times I desperately needed to rest, I could not. I would be laying in bed making lists in my head. During my prayer time, I had already moved on to other things that needed to be accomplished. There was no real connection between myself and God. Over the course of becoming the best at multi-tasking I had lost the art of doing nothing.
I would define "the art of doing nothing" as stopping all physical tasks and allowing your mind, soul, and body to rest peacefully as one. Not only did could I not do this, I didn't know how to do it and it frustrated me. The thought of doing nothing overwhelmed me. But because I was not able to shut everything out and draw inward the messiness of my multi-tasking was bleeding into everything else in my life. Here I was, the center of the problem.
MAKING BABY STEPS
As a stay at home + work from home mom, I hold many hats. There is so much to get done, that one task overtakes the next and you end up running around really accomplishing nothing. Here is a cute little video rolling around social media that explains it perfectly! None of the things on my daily list allowed quiet time for myself where I wasn't allowing anything else to take over.
I made a list of the things I knew I wanted to accomplish everyday for myself. That list included devotion and prayer, exercise, and meditation. I knew these things required complete quiet and since I have a toddler that rules the roost, I only had a two hour nap window. If I'm being perfectly honest this stressed me out. I got anxious thinking that all the other things that I normally did during nap time would have to be done with a wild man running around. But nothing changes without sacrifice.
It started with just a decision, but when implemented I felt like I had myself back. I was able to draw inward, be thankful for my body, breathe deeply and recite my affirmations feeling deeply connected to each one. This forced myself to empty my head of everything and focus on myself and God and who I was created to be. Those moments of doing nothing, allowed me to let go of all the negativity I was carrying in my head and clear the space for the goodness of my living my life. And guess what? THAT bled into the rest of my day. Each chore was easier and I was motivated to remove all the extras and focus simply on one thing at a time.
There will always be a time when you have to do multiple things at one time. We are raising kids, managing homes, rising to the top of our careers, and constantly striving to be better than the day before. But if you are feeling anything like I was, I encourage you to stop, clear your head of all the craziness, and just become one with yourself and your Creator. There is a change that happens when you are doing nothing. Discover the art.
