Company Halt. “Hear ye, hear ye, let it be known over half of the year is gone!” Have you spent time multitasking yourself to unfocused success or failure of accomplishing your goals?
When 2019 started, were you among the crowd with goals and things you were going to knock off your bucket list?
Me too!
Perhaps you have, or perhaps you haven’t knocked those things off your list? If not, what are you waiting for? Just do them, right? But something got/gets in the way.
Why is it we don’t get things done? What is holding us back?
Maybe there are legitimate things like lack of money or lack of time. Wait…time, hmm. We all have the same amount of time each day, and some people just get a lot of shit done, no matter what. Other people don’t. But, we all have the same amount of time. What’s the difference then?
One thing is for sure, we all encounter a lot of incoming and outgoing data on a daily basis. Our lives are full of multitasking data and information overload.
The difference is in the type of data we encounter and how we focus or not on the incoming data.
For those who have not completed their wishlist of what they wanted to get done, I’m guessing it’s because of multitasking time spent on all the useless data encountered in the form of social media.
Dare I say, social media interruptions are the number one reason for not accomplishing goals we set out to do?
It is impossible to get everything we want to get done when we get sucked into mind-numbing, useless time spent on social media.
Why do I say that? Because, admittedly, I’m guilty too, more times than I want to admit to. But I’m admitting it!
That’s the first step to overcoming obstacles (habits), admitting they are there. But…I don’t give ’em up. I rationalize I’m getting better by limiting my intake. I’m guilty nonetheless. I’m guilty by contributing a blog post for you to read. Sorry.
Great and successful (or at least they appear as such on social media channels) bloggers say, “To be a great blogger, you have to spend time writing every day!” That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Yeah, I know that, but what stops me every morning when I don’t write?
You got it…I start out the day by checking out my social media channels (Blog comments, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Email, Pinterest, etc.) and then…just after about 15 minutes (aka, the time it takes to feed the pets and let them out for their bathroom duties), I feel as though I lost any ounce of creativity I may have felt when I woke up.
Or is it more so that I ran out of time? Depending upon when I get up, my small window of writing time each day is before getting ready for work. If I find (aka, I get sucked into) interesting things on my social media feeds for the day, I literally waste all of my creative moments for the day.
Well, that’s fricken’ disappointing. No wonder I feel like crap when I run out of time to do what I really wanted to do.
The reality is, when we get sucked into social media, our brains can’t think straight.
We think we’re doing something productive by reading and watching stuff as we scroll through our feeds of information. We scroll, again, and again, and again. But what we do is suck the productive and focused energy right out of our brains. Wow, when I take time to notice that in myself, I agree. I feel way more productive when I stay on task and don’t bounce around multitasking. Huh, I’ve always prided myself on my ability to multitask. I didn’t realize how not so good for me multitasking really is.
I read the book titled “The Organized Mind – Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload” by Daniel J. Levitin. Daniel made excellent points about how multitasking is detrimental to our cognitive performance. An excellent read, and way more productive than reading my social media feeds. Definitely, time well spent.
I found the references to habits and multitasking intriguing.
Excerpt: “Just having the opportunity to multitask is detrimental to cognitive performance. Glenn Wilson of Gresham College, London, calls it infomania. His research found that being in a situation where you are trying to concentrate on a task, and an e-mail is sitting unread in your inbox, can reduce your effective IQ by 10 points. And although people claim many benefits to marijuana, including enhanced creativity and reduced pain and stress, it is well documented that its chief ingredient, cannabinol, activates dedicated cannabinol receptors in the brain and interferes profoundly with memory and with our ability to concentrate on several things at once. Wilson showed that the cognitive losses from multitasking are even greater than the cognitive losses from pot smoking.”
Company halt – co-dependency on social media isn’t the key to getting stuff done! Maybe social media is the pot-smoking habit of today? Coincidentally this post is a wrap…looking at the clock, my writing time is up for the day!
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Co
PS – What do you think about multi-tasking and social media? Have you read the book I shared? It’s a thick book – but well worth the time to read. Happy Saturday!
Food for thought. I think of social media more as conversations around the office water cooler than smoking pot, but I take your point. As with anything in life it’s all in how you use it and your ability to put limits on it. That goes for gossip and/or information.
I like that take – conversations around the water cooler. When I focus the efforts on the conversations, it is pleasant. It’s when I try to manage too many of them at the same time, I find it frustrating and distracting. I’m amazed at those who can keep up with so many different applications. The ability to carefully balance is key, I suspect. Thank you for sharing your food for thought!
Social Media is a time sucker and I’m guilty of overuse! I’d never have dreamed years ago that this technology would exist. I use my blog and IG, nothing else.
Nice post Ms Shelly. I read and answer email then go out on the front porch and relax with a camera in my lap. On slow mornings, I will journal some, but the emphasis of being outside is relaxing. My writing time is at night when the mosquitoes rule here and the great beyond. g
Thank you, g, I appreciate hearing how you find balance and pleasure in relaxing outside in the peace and quiet while watching the birds – your technique results in some awesome shots. My camera time is relaxing for me too…when the mosquitoes aren’t biting that is, I don’t like them either. 🙂
Insidious. That’s what social media is, I try not to scroll anymore on FB. FB eats time. Even checking the news is risky. A while back I started a rule that on my writing days, I can’t look at social media or anything else until I’ve written for at least two hours. It worked well and I’m getting back to it. I read that multi tasking is really switching from one task to another very quickly. Each time we have to refocus, we have reorient to that task so we’re slightly less efficient. My mind wanders enough as it is. I can remember when we just had TV with three stations, radio, and records. And a telephone that hung on the wall. Sometimes I miss that simplicity we didn’t know was simplicity. Your post is a good reminder to simplify.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, JoAnna. I appreciate your take on the SM scene and its current lack of simplicity like we once had. The only time my phone is connected to the wall is when it needs recharging. I take that opportunity as time to recharge myself. xx
Good idea! xx
I rarely look at Facebook and Twitter anymore, and I’m getting that way with Reddit. It’s amazing just how much better I feel. I still do a lot of YouTubery, but I find I have little patience for the news and politics stuff; I have a few channels I follow that are strictly for entertainment. I still spent a lot more time than I’d like on Instagram, but I’m working on it. I’m also cutting out a lot of the blogs I had been following, because of time and some of them post six or seven times a day. I don’t really consider blogging as social media per se; I think there’s much more involved in it.
I’m starting to think that social media has the same effect on the brain as porn.
Anyway, for years I tried multitasking and learned that it’s better to do one thing well than to do several things poorly. I should read that book…
Oh, my, I’m so sorry that I missed this comment, John. It had gone to my trash and I discovered it this morning. Your careful consideration of what social media to pursue or not resonates with me. I do think you’d enjoy the book – there’s enough technical proof in it to be quite convincing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
This is a great post, Shelley. I do find I get a lot more done when I resist the urge to scroll. But the more overwhelming life feels, the stronger that urge is. Definitely a vicious cycle.
Thank you, Laura. Ah, yes, that urge or twitch or whatever we have created in ourselves these days seems more ‘natural’ than it should. I appreciate you stopping by to read and share your thoughts!
Great post, Shelley. I sometimes use the excuse that I am doing research or networking but that is not always 100% accurate.
Thanks, Janet. LOL – I do that too… 😉
Wow–great information! And, really then, I should feel as guilty about stopping my freelance writing for a social media “break” as if I were taking a pot break. I’m sure my clients wouldn’t appreciate the latter; so I probably shouldn’t indulge in the former!
Thank you, Rebecca, glad you enjoyed the post. I like your take on it. LOL – but…if the scroll provided some inspiration, by reading a valuable piece of ramblings, then by all means your SM fix for a moment away from work in progress was helpful, right?! 😉
Right!
Multi tasking comes natural for me, mother of five….I have days I want to quit social media because of the “meanies”
Oh, my, it’s like you had your own little classroom with 5 kids. And you survived, so you are the queen of multi-tasking in my book! I agree, the meanies are such a disappointment to the world of social media. If only they didn’t get rewarded for their actions.
A good article on time management, Shelley. I try to be aware how I spend my time and when I am most creative. I think the saying is something like “eat the frog first.” You likely have heard where you make sure to do something challenging or a chore first. I made a note of Daniel Levitin’s book. Overall, it is an age of information overload. Good information on multitasking and cognitive losses. Thank you for sharing. Happy Saturday to you, Shelley:)
Thank you, Erica, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I have that book too – it’s called “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy. A quick read, and very helpful info on time management and getting projects completed. I hope you enjoy Dan’s book, I was fascinated throughout the whole book. Happy Saturday to you too!
I haven’t read that book, but it does look helpful. I’ve always been a multi-tasker and it would be hard to stop now. I quite facebook 4 or 5 years ago because it was too much nonsense. It never satisfies the ever curious among us – so we keep on scrolling for the next “thing” – and perhaps it taps in to the “don’t want to miss something” as well. Too much social media time can also leave you feeling unproductive at the end of the day, But perhaps we don’t always have to show an accomplishment? I’m not sure.
Interesting thoughts!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It’s a great book – I pondered a lot about brain health while reading it. If I didn’t have to manage my work’s Facebook page, I’d quit it too. There are plenty of things about it that I don’t enjoy. You’re right – some days we don’t have to accomplish anything. I’m finding I like those kind of days more and more…!
Humans do not multitask well at all. We switch between tasks and all the tasks suffer as a result. I am trying to watch a football game right now. But, every time I type a comment, I miss a play of make a typo, or both.
LOL – you’re right on target! Hope your team won!?!
This is so true. On days when I have a lot to do, I just don’t get to scrolling and – amazing! – the world goes on. I am a true believer that it’s addictive and I tend toward addiction on that front. But you read a whole book! 🙂 That’s not nothing. I’m determined to get more done this weekend, and so far, I’m on track. Going on a little road trip with my DD tomorrow, so lots to do. Cheers!
Ah, yes, the lack of scrolling doesn’t stop the world from spinning. If I have a good book, I don’t even miss the phone. Congrats on getting a lot of stuff done, and enjoy the road trip with DD! Cheers to you, thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. I do appreciate you taking a break from getting stuff done and spending a moment or two here with me.
Social media takes up a lot of time – I scroll through my news feed on Facebook a few times a day to keep up with what’s happening but have put any friends off my feed and there are only a couple that I check their FB walls to see what is happening with them. I also check the Crime forum and that’s it. Don’t use too much time on Twitter, check the trending and feed. And check the weather – speaking of weather, torrential rain been coming down for at least an hour and not rumbling so any chance of catching up in Reader just got trashed as it’s thundering and rumbling around out there…. a wall of water they say and 45-50 mph wind. The end of the world is what it sounds like.
Sounds like a healthy balance of SM. The strange weather you’ve had this year never seems to end! I hope you were safe and that you didn’t lose power!!!
Yes, it’s hard to divide the free time like a pie and have it come out with equal portions – WordPress would likely be the one with the most calories! Yes, so far so good on the power, but we have another possibly severe storm Tuesday night into Wednesday.
LOL – it is high caloric that’s for sure – do you think typing burns calories?! That’s a funny idea for a post?! Dang weather – we’re supposed to have storms here today. Stay safe!
Well you just run with it then. We are having bad storms too – I’m staying on here as long as they don’t roll through as supposed to be severe.
Social media is soaking up our time. Thankfully, I gave up Facebook for blogging. I go out with friends and they spend the entire night scrolling. Now, keepiong up with social media has become more important than living our lives.
Yes, it is, and it is sad. No wonder you feel lonely! 😉 You’re an inspiration to me on how to live life well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Shelley, I remember going out on a date one Valentine’s, and every couple in the restaurant was scrolling through their phones. Then, I look across at my date and she was doing the same.
I guess romance is only a thumb scroll away.
Sigh.
Yikes – how sad. But, I do like how you put the sadness to words ‘romance is a thumb scroll away.’ Sigh is right.
LOL Wasn’t that poetic Shelley.
🙂 Yes, indeed!
Yeah man…………..
🙂
this is a very good post – want to read it again to soak up a bit more – but I like the part about getting stuck and the brain changes –
and love the photo – selfie with camera showing –
Thank you, I appreciate your feedback. Our brains are fascinating. How they work or don’t work when it comes to social media is worthy of taking a closer look at. The book is enlightening.
Interesting post. I wasn’t sure where you would bring the pot smoking in — but it made sense. Going from one site to the next to the next, commenting, liking…. before you know it, hours have passed. Social media isn’t relaxing like I think of pot. I try and unplug from time to time simply because it’s hard to relax with my phone sitting right next to me, pinging away. Have a great day.
Thank you for reading. Whew, I’m glad the post eventually made sense. I appreciate hearing your perspective. I, agree, it is easier to relax without the phone nearby. Hope you’re having a wonderful day.