Oftentimes people think that when we're “being,” we're not “doing anything.” If you ask me, it's actually just “doing what we're doing, while we're doing it. One thing at a time.”

Oftentimes people think that when we're “being,” we're not “doing anything.” If you ask me, it's actually just “doing what we're doing, while we're doing it. One thing at a time.”

One time, I was at a “Habit Hackers” conference in Colorado. There was a speaker who recommended to the whole community that the way to “habit hack” life is to: “wake up, sit on the toilet, go poop, brush teeth, and scroll on your phone reading the news, all in the first 2 minutes of the day.”

My heart was pounding and my fists were clenching. I thought, “Oh. My. God. This is what people are learning? This is what we are teaching people?

From my experience as a therapist & holistic health guide, this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what we need to be teaching & practicing. This way of living is perpetuating this sick, broken, out of touch culture that we have in the West: of “do, do, do more, all at the same time” and “you will get more done” versus this idea of “being,” which is to do ONE THING AT A TIME and while you're doing that thing, do only that thing.

As Pema Chödrön says, “You cannot be running your story and be present at the same time.”

What if you gave each moment your undivided attention? No stories in your head about the past or the future, only here now.

In this West, we consistently live outside of the moment. We are programmed to be in this do-do-do, that we miss out on how beautiful our lives already are, even in the midst of having the hardest time of our lives. When we're walking & talking, working on an email & thinking about what to make for dinner, planning for that upcoming conversation while driving alone in our car, our minds are moving 1000 miles a minute, not present.

In these moments of multitasking, we're not actually present with what's going on right here in our bodies. “And why do we have to be present right here with our bodies?” you may ask. Because our bodies are always in the moment, where we have choice. When we are in the moment, we can feel joy, fear, gratitude, sadness, or maybe even a combination of them all. When we’re in the moment, we can actually feel what's here. We are no longer distracted & numb where we disassociate, trying to go or do something else. We can become aware of ourselves and learn to choose the thoughts we allow in and the ones we let go. This can bring us power, productivity & peace.

One thing at a time looks like this: ​
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     • When I am swimming, I'm swimming.
     • While I'm writing my task list for the week, I'm writing my tasks list.
     • While I'm meditating, I'm meditating.
     • While I'm driving, I'm driving.
     • While I'm cleaning the dishes, I'm cleaning the dishes, feeling the warm water on my hands and thanking that precious water.
     • While I'm making love, I'm making love.
​     • While I'm working on a project, I'm working only on that one thing.

My mind is not wandering away from the here and now. My mind and body are working together, right there in the moment.

So why do we do this? Why does that matter?

My husband reminds me often, “How we do anything is how we do everything.”

I mean, we could make the smoothie, do the squats, and be writing our notes for the week all at the same time. But is that sustainable? How is your mental, physical & emotional health if this is your practice day in and day out? Are we burnt out? I’ll ask you. How do you consistently feel?

Most of my clients say, “I am caught up in my mind. I’m caught up in my stories. I’m caught up in the next thing, looking into the future, planning the future or ruminating over the past. And I miss right here where I actually have a choice: to say something differently, to notice when I'm triggered, to feel what it's like to be completely taken over by joy and ecstasy from the breeze.”

How do we meet these moments with compassion, understanding and presence?

Multitasking doesn't actually teach us to be more present, it teaches us to distract ourselves from the moment. It seems we are programmed to miss the point of our lives. To me, the point is to live my life by feeling our feet on the ground, breathing the breath in our lungs, looking at what is around me, and living my gifts fully. Not caught in my mind, but present with my body and mind working together with my attention right on the moment.

So I encourage us to stop multitasking, and do one thing at a time with mindfulness, focus, presence, attention, fully be(e)ing. You will be more productive, more grounded, more kind, more understanding, and I bet you might even get more accomplished. Above all, you will feel deeply and truly, more whole.