Do One Thing at a Time
by Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D.
Our frantic minds reflect our frantic lives as we try to fit more and more into each day. We constantly do two or more things at a time. We dress while listening to the radio; prepare a meal while planning our day; then eat the meal with reading the paper and watching television. We listen to the radio while driving and at work talk on the telephone while preparing a report. Our lives feel fragmented, our minds are agitated, blood pressure is raised, and our attention span is shortened. Thomas Merton, one of the twentieth century’s most influential Christians, summarized the dilemma:"The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his or her work for peace."
Yet we can live our lives in ways that foster calm and concentration rather than frenzy and fragmentation. An excellent way to begin is to practice doing just one thing at a time, and giving whatever we do our full attention. This is a very straightforward exercise, yet it can have dramatic effects. One busy doctor who had spent years living at a frenetic pace reported that he was astounded at what a difference it made and that it was one of the most beneficial exercises he had ever done.
To begin, commit a specific time—a day might be good to begin with—to doing only one thing at a time. For one day you will focus your attention on each individual activity. You may not get quite as many things done, but a lot of those undone things will probably end up seeming rather insignificant. What you do get done, you will do more efficiently and enjoy a lot more.
Such a day might include changes such as: When you get up, don’t turn on the radio or television until you are ready to give them your full attention. When you shower, without the radio, focus on enjoying the sensation of the water as it caresses your body and afterward on the invigorating rub of the towel as you dry yourself. A shower can be either a mindless task or a sensuous pleasure, depending on the amount of attention you give it.
When preparing breakfast, just prepare breakfast. When you eat the breakfast, give it your full attention. Turn off the radio and television and put the newspaper aside. Simply enjoy your meal, each smell, each taste, each texture. When you have finished eating, by all means read the newspaper.
When using the telephone, give the person at the other end the gift of your full attention. When someone is talking to you, turn off the television or put down your reading and really listen. If you go to a restaurant, choose a quiet one where you can save your hearing, enjoy your meal, and, if you are with someone, enjoy your conversation.
By the end of the day you may have listened to less radio, watched less television, and perhaps made one or two fewer phone calls. But the rewards vastly outweigh the trivial losses. Since you were really present for each activity, you may feel less agitated and fragmented, and also that your day was more enjoyable and meaningful.
As you discover these benefits, you may want to extend the exercise into more of your life, relinquishing superficial distractions in order to focus on what is more meaningful and important. This is the basis of "voluntary simplicity," a lifestyle less cluttered by excess activities and possessions, a life outwardly simple yet inwardly rich. It takes practice to resist the fragmenting seductions of modern life, but the rewards are more than worth it.
Copyright © 1999 by Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D.
From Essential Spirituality: Exercises from the World's Religions to Cultivate Kindness,Love, Joy, Peace, Vision, Wisdom, and Creativity by Roger Walsh, MD, Ph.D. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999). Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
