Being in the Moment
Grab a cup of coffee- let’s chat.
You’ve seen the cute quotes on Pinterest and coffee mugs, about “being in the moment” right? Every time I see one of those I think “Yeah, I totally need to work on that” and then I open 9 more internet tabs and go about my daily multi-tasking. Sure, there are all those studies about how multitasking doesn’t work and your brain can’t actually process more than one thing at a time. Yeah, we all know we’re too connected to our phones and we consume more information now than we ever have before. And if we’re being totally honest, I don’t hate it.
I like that feeling of doing a million things all at once. I like the chaos of Christmas and the constant notifications that pop up on my phone. (Well, I like it for awhile until I get totally overwhelmed and then all I want to do is hide under the covers for a week.) Maybe I need to work on that whole balance idea?
I really do want to make more of an effort to “be in the moment” and pay attention to the people I’m with or the simple task at hand. While my day job literally requires me to bounce around from social media channels, my personal life doesn’t. And while I love checking Instagram while I’m brushing my teeth, maybe I don’t need to. Maybe it would be ok to blow dry my hair without doing calf raises while wearing Crest Whitestrips and reading NPR on my phone.
Are you with me here? But the question is how. How do I break the cycle of constant multitasking and stimulation?
Here are my baby step goals:
1. Put the phone down. Innovative, right? But seriously, I need to get out of the habit of carrying it around with me all over the house. I want to stop sitting on the couch across from Alex while we both stare into our phones. At the very least, I’ll attempt to keep it off the dinner table.
2. Choose focused activities. Things like working out or playing the piano are such a good chance to focus because it’s sort of hard to multitask while you’re sight reading your way through sheet music or running intervals on the treadmill. Now that we have a piano, I plan on taking advantage of it.
3. Make decisions and move on. Oh man this is one I struggle with and I know it drives Alex crazy. I’m embarrassed to admit how long I spent picking out a dining room table. I need to accept that I’ll never “finish” researching all the farmhouse style tables on the internet. It’s a black hole. I’ll never get to the end. That should free up a little more time for other things.
I’m sure this will be an uphill battle and I’ve got a long road ahead, so share your tips and tricks with me! Do you struggle with this, too?
This is a great post Liz! As I read it I had 10 tabs open on Firefox and 7 on Internet Explorer. Great reminder and I am going to try and be better at living in the moment. Have a great weekend!
What an important topic you have raised. I love reading everyone’s comments here too – such great points and suggestions! I find that when I do focus more intently on what I am doing, it is so much more enjoyable! We really owe it to ourselves to do that and then move on to the next task or activity and then enjoy that one too. I think we all try to get too much done in a day.
Oh I can totally relate to this entire post. I have found myself taking forever lately to get things done and I blame it on my internet/phone/multi-tasking addiction! I have been feeling over stimulation lately from social media . . .but like you I can’t afford to be away from it b/c it’s part of my job!! Ahhh! Great post 🙂
I agree with point # 2 and I do this by getting lost in a cooking or crafting project. I was the worst (or best?) multitasker until I noticed my baby watching me type on my phone with one hand while feeding her with the other. 🙁 Now I make a point to sit down and eat while she eats so she learns how meal times should really be.
These are really good ideas. I’m like you, I like being busy and doing a million things at once. It makes me feel like I’m getting a lot of things accomplished. But then I look back and I rushed through so many things and never got the chance to enjoy them. I’m going to try these things to start enjoying the moment instead of working through it!
I’m pretty good at putting the phone down. I even leave it in the kitchen at bedtime. But I struggle with just making a decision and moving on. Working on it, I think. 😉
I am so with you here! Last night I tried something new. As soon as I got home, I put my phone on airplane mode. If people REALLY needed to reach me, they could call the house. I also was using my laptop, but one thing at a time, right? Phone, then laptop. Baby steps, and I slept SO well.
Girl, I am 100% right there with you. I have the hardest time living in the moment and not trying to balances 1,000 things at once! Sadly, my hubby is like this too, which has led to some nights where we’re sitting next to each other on the couch, both on our phones/computers/tablets doing other things. One thing that we’ve instituted is the “no phones in a restaurant” rule. So whenever we go out to dinner, phones go away as soon as we get seated. And if we want to pull them out to check something, we have to ask permission. Which is usually only when we’re discussing something and want to look something up to clarify. It’s hard, but it does wonders.
Very inspiring. I work on doing the same thing. Based on some reading I’ve done, I think being “mindful” is something that can be improved with practice. Daily practice if possible.
It’s so hard this time of year when there’s SO much going on! I stop all social media in the evenings, usually around 8:00, so I can focus on hanging out with Riley or reading a book. Makes a huge difference.
I’m totally bringing out the Xmas sheet music to play some piano tomorrow!