Single-Tasking

A few days ago, I had coffee with a friend. One of those "see all the time, say 'hello,' then go our own ways" kind of friends. We'd talked for a while about going for coffee, but busy lives being what they are, we'd never quite managed to make it work. Until this week.
 
I couldn't tell you exactly what we talked about over our gourmet beverages. What I can tell you is that when I walked out of the coffee shop, approximately an hour after I had walked in, it was as if I was on a new block in a different neighborhood, going to my job for the very first time.
 
No, my coffee was not spiked (though the caffeine did stay with me for many hours). I had simply been so engrossed in our conversation for that hour that I had really put aside everything else that usually clutters my brain--schedules and work and the best path to walk and being on time. I gave myself over to this hour of coffee and conversation, and what I got back was not just connection with a friend, but a new outlook on the world as well.
 
There's a lot going on in our lives every day. Most of the time, when we are doing one thing, we are thinking about another. Multitasking, we call it. It can make us more efficient, and more consistently aware of all the things we have to handle. I am actually a very good multitasker--I don't think I could get myself and my kids through each week if I weren't. But what I learned this week from that coffee was how great it feels to give our multitasking heads a rest, and just focus on one thing. I came away from that coffee refreshed and seeing the world through new eyes (at least for the period of time between then and when I got to work!). In the process, I also strengthened a friendship by being really "present" as we talked.
 
Multitasking may be great for getting the most things done, but sometimes, it's the "single-tasking" that helps us see all those things a little more clearly.