When Was the Last Time You Did Just One Thing?

Somewhere along the way, single-tasking has become a must-have skill.

Photo by Jeffrey Grospe on Unsplash

I was heading out on a long trip this week to meet up with some other creators this weekend. As I prepared for it, I caught myself doing the thing I always do before I travel.

I was loading up on distractions to take with me.

I downloaded dozens of YouTube videos. I queued up a backlog of podcasts that I had been wanting to listen to. I threw in a video game. I packed two physical books and my Kindle. And, of course, I had my laptop, just in case I felt like being productive while I was away.

I was packing for my trip the way a lot of us live now: hedging against the terrifying possibility of an empty moment.

Then I stopped. I looked at the little arsenal I’d assembled, all of it to guarantee that I would not “waste” a moment of my trip.

And then it hit me.

This arsenal of distractions was going to prevent me from experiencing my trip.

Ironically, my insurance against empty moments would virtually ensure that all of the moments I had would be empty.

I empti…