As I write this post I’ve got SAS Australia playing on the tv, and I’m chatting to friends on messenger. I’ve just finished cleaning the house and putting my little guy to bed. For the first time in a long time the living room feels tidy! It’s been a good night!
Running event wrap up
The latest run club event is over, which I’m thrilled about. It’s nice to not have to be thinking about getting mileage every second of every day. I’m still going with my round-the-world event with another team, as well as my solo Australian one, but those ones are a little more sustainable in terms of a run-life balance.
The event that’s just finished only lasted 11 days, but honestly it felt like a month. Over those 11 days I clocked up 130.1 miles, or just over 209km. My team, “Niffler Bob”, ended up coming first, which was awesome! The team was super fun, and it was incredible to watch them band together to keep spirits high.
Tonight with all the “spare time” that I had I managed to cook dinner for the boys (nothing fancy, but my hubby wasn’t feeling well so I let him rest and made him some chicken in the air fryer, while my little man got some pasta). I vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, put a load of washing on (scheduled to start in the early hours of the morning tomorrow so it’s done when I wake up), fold some sheets and put those and some clothes away. There’s no laundry baskets full of clothes anywhere, so the living room feels empty! It’s amazing!
Multi-tasking and addiction
Today while I was at work I was doing a task, and had this sudden urge to be doing something else at the same time. I suddenly realised that I was finding it difficult to focus on one thing. It was like this overwhelming need to be busy, and multi-tasking.
Some key things about me:
- I can’t watch tv, and only watch tv. I have to be on my phone playing a game, or chatting to someone, or reading an article etc. I can’t just watch the tv.
- I get a rush from doing 50 things at once
- I love ticking things off the list
On a whim, I googled multi-tasking addiction and was stunned by the first article I read.
Here’s some notable quotes from wrike.com:
Recent studies show multitasking has a physical, possibly permanent impact on the brain’s structure. Heavy media-multitaskers have smaller gray matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps regulate both automatic bodily functions like blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like decision making, empathy, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
wrike.com
Multitasking causes new information to get stored in the wrong part of the brain. It compromises your short-term memory.
wrike.com
Not only is multitasking bad for your brain, it’s bad for your body. It increases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which can result in narrowed arteries, increased blood sugar, and suppressed immune systems, among other health problems.
wrike.com
How crazy is that? I definitely have issues with impulse control (hello – I have an eating disorder) and emotional regulation, I think I tend to snap sometimes. And I most definitely have a problem with short-term memory. Even trying to explain something about this article to my husband tonight I couldn’t remember the point I was trying to make!
I continued to read the article, and then I read this:
New stimuli cause a surge of endogenous opioids to the reward-seeking parts of the brain. It feels good to indulge in distractions. This not only makes it incredibly difficult to focus on a single complex task, it makes you more likely to complete a dozen simpler, more inconsequential tasks like responding to email or making phone calls, rather than tackle bigger, more significant projects.
wrike.com
You can be addicted to multi-tasking and get a high from it!
I find this so fascinating. I would 100% consider myself addicted to multi-tasking.
Having read the article, it makes me want to challenge myself to focus on just one thing at one time.
They do talk about when multi-tasking can be good – for example performing mental tasks when exercising. I know I definitely have some great ideas when I’m out for a walk!
So anyway, here goes a challenge for me for the week. Try and focus more, and do one thing at one time. This will be interesting!
Does anyone else tend to find they’re addicted to multi-tasking?
Also a side note – I’ve been trying to get back to doing my habits and failing. So I’m throwing it out here again, day 1 starts tomorrow (Wednesday). I’m making myself accountable again. Here goes!