This morning, I was hurrying to get ready for work, with the final step being breakfast. I loaded up my bowl of overnight oats with all the things, then eyed a loaf of banana bread.
Do I really need a slice of banana bread right now? No. Do I want one? Yes. It’s delicious, I’m having it.
I cut a small piece, put it on a napkin and took my breakfast to the table, excited to eat (I love eating and I really love banana bread). Because it was already getting late and I wanted to get a head start on work, I brought my laptop to the table too. While I was eating, I checked Slack, responded to messages, read some emails, and made some decisions about the day.
Then I glanced down at that napkin, ready to indulge in the deliciousness of the banana bread, only to find that it was…gone! All that remained were a couple sad crumbs, like a breakfast crime scene.
I was shocked and dismayed. Where had it gone? Who took my banana bread??
Sadly, there was only one possible answer. I had eaten it. But I was so absorbed in my work tasks, that it hadn’t even registered as yummy. It hadn’t even registered that I had eaten it, because I was completely unconscious to it. I wasn’t present with my banana bread!
This, my friends, is why multitasking is a scam. Doing two things at once, almost all of the time, means one or both of those things are happening unconsciously. Sometimes, that’s absolutely fine. Like driving and listening to a great podcast. Or doodling while on a tedious call. But other times, it means you completely miss out on the full enjoyment of the experience.
Working while eating breakfast meant I completely missed out on the pleasure of eating something delicious. It’s as though it never even happened. It was a good reminder to be present with the things that matter, even the small things. Otherwise, you might miss out completely.