Save Yourself from New Tab Syndrome
The power of engaging with one thing at a time
The other day I was in the middle of emptying the dishwasher, and my phone buzzed.
I checked it, and there was a request for information.
I walked over to my desk to look up the information and sent it over.
Then I happened to see a new email. I read it and began to think about my reply.
I looked over and saw my journal, and thought I should check my to do list, so I did.
Then I noticed the time, and realized I needed to get ready to go the gym, so I got dressed, grabbed my keys and headed toward the door.
On my way out, I saw the half-empty dishwasher (or half full?).
This scattered, reactive chain of events may not be alarming on its face, except for the fact that it is symptomatic of a greater tendency to lose focus, switch modes and multitask in a way that is reactive, destructive, and counterproductive to living a purposeful, present life.
Sometimes, we think of multitasking as doing two or more tasks simultaneously. This is largely impossible and a misrepresentation of multitasking.
The much more common and insidious form of multitasking is more akin to slower, longer form mode switching: We do one thing for a few minutes, but then we get distracted or we encounter a bit of friction with our current task (like it gets more difficult) and we switch to a new mode/activity. Then a few minutes later, we get distracted by something else, or we remember we should probably get back to original task.
When working in your browser, have you ever compulsively opened a new tab when you get bored or challenged by whatever you're working on? Have you ever found yourself browsing through your Facebook newsfeed or something else, only to find you have opened 15 new tabs? So you start reading the second tab, and that leads you to open 3 more tabs?
This is new tab syndrome, and it is the digital equivalent of the dishwasher scene I described at the beginning of this post.
Our brain is not built for all these tabs. It makes us feel stressed, causes us to do subpar work, and holds us back from truly engaging with life.
The antidote is simple (but not easy): Do one thing at a time. Complete it. Move on.
And the best way to "do" is to with engagement. Give each task your full love and attention.
Begin. Engage. Complete. Move On.
It's easy to begin. It's harder to engage. It's even harder to complete.
You don't have to complete the entire thing of course. Some projects or tasks may take days or months. But before you begin each task, set an intention of what you will do right now, and complete that.
For example, if I could re-live the scene at the beginning, my intention would be to completely finish unloading the dishwasher before I move on. Then when my phone buzzed, I would not have checked it until after I had completed my current task.
I actually want to make myself tea right now, but I committed to finishing this post before I do anything else, so the tea will have to wait.
This practice literally applies to the internet too. One tab at a time. No opening new tabs until you have finished whatever you are reading or doing on your current tab.
Begin. Engage. Complete. Move On.
