ONE THING

Perhaps the single most practical advice from Lao Tzu is that when you work on something difficult and complex, you should always concentrate on one thing at a time. Bring complete attention to the task in front of you, and get it out of the way.

Modern science has reached the same conclusion as the ancient sages in this regard. the brain cannot switch from one task to another, it takes a while for you to get back into the groove. When you handle many tasks concurrently, your productive time is cut way down.

We all know this on some level, and that is why when you absolutely need to get something done, you go to a place where you can focus on it exclusively. This may be a conference room or a nearby coffeehouse, but probably not the office. There are simply too many interruptions there.

The Tao Today

Multitasking is probably one of our most harmful habits, but almost everyone does it. See if you can limit its impact on you by consistently focusing on one thing. Center yourself on the task at hand, and whenever you find yourself drifting away from it and falling back to the old multitasking habit, gently pull yourself back to the center.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin