The Art of Doing One Thing

When was the last time you did just one thing? Not one thing while listening to a podcast. Not one thing while answering a text. Not one thing while thinking about the five things you need to do next. Just. One. Thing.

We have become remarkably good at doing several things at once. We eat while scrolling. We walk while answering emails. We watch television while shopping online. We listen to someone talk while thinking about what we're going to say next.

We call it multitasking. But perhaps it's something else. Perhaps we've simply become uncomfortable giving our full attention to one thing.

Our attention is always being pulled somewhere.

There is always something asking for it. A notification. An email. A message. A headline. A calendar reminder. Another tab open on the computer. Another thought about something we need to remember. Even when nothing is demanding our attention, we often reach for something anyway.

We check our phones while the coffee brews. We look at the news while we eat breakfast. We turn on a podcast the moment we step outside for a walk. We fill the quiet before we even notice that it was there.

None of these things are inherently bad. I love a good podcast or audiobook. I have a phone for a reason. There are plenty of moments when music, conversation or something interesting to listen to makes an ordinary task more enjoyable.

But there is something worth noticing: What happens when we don't add anything else?

One thing can be surprisingly difficult.

Try drinking your morning coffee or tea or smoothie without your phone. It sounds easy. Until you realize how often your hand reaches for it. Or take a walk without a podcast. Cook dinner without checking a message or looking at something on your screen. Sit outside for five minutes and don't read, scroll, plan or accomplish anything.

At first, you may notice how restless you feel. You may suddenly remember something you need to do. You may wonder what you're supposed to be thinking about. You may even find yourself reaching for your phone without realizing you've picked it up. That's okay. The point isn't to do it perfectly. The point is to notice.

What changes when you give something your full attention?

Something interesting happens when we stop dividing our attention. The coffee becomes more than something we're drinking while we get ready for the day. The walk becomes more than transportation or exercise. Cooking becomes something we are actually doing rather than something happening in the background while we consume something else. A conversation becomes a conversation.

We begin to notice things we might otherwise miss. The smell of coffee. The temperature of the air. The sound of birds. The rhythm of our footsteps. The feel of chopping vegetables. The expression on someone's face. Small things have a way of becoming more noticeable when we're actually there for them.

Presence doesn't have to be complicated.

We often talk about mindfulness as though it requires a special cushion, a quiet room and twenty minutes of uninterrupted meditation. Those things can be wonderful and I create those things!! But presence is also available in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday. It can be as simple as washing the dishes and washing the dishes. Driving and driving. Eating and eating. Listening and listening. Walking and walking. One. Thing. For a few minutes, nothing else needs your attention.

Try an experiment.

Not a challenge. Not a new habit you need to maintain. Just an experiment. Choose one ordinary thing today and do only that. Drink your coffee, your tea, your protein drink. Take a shower. Eat lunch. Walk around the block. Make dinner. Sit outside. For five or ten minutes, put everything else aside. No phone. No podcast. No multitasking.

Just notice what it feels like to be completely where you are. If your mind wanders, notice. If you feel restless, notice. If you enjoy it, notice that too. There is nothing to achieve here. In fact, the whole point is to stop trying to achieve something for a moment. Because perhaps a slower life isn't always about doing less.

Maybe sometimes it's about doing one thing fully. And discovering that an ordinary moment can hold more than we thought it did.

A question to carry with you:
What would change if I gave one ordinary part of my day my complete attention?