Multitasking or Presence?

One of the keys to Full Color Living is the practice of presence -- being fully aware in the moment. Giving one's full attention to life, really. In the busyness of life it can be a challenge to be present. We make things worse by multi-tasking. I've noticed especially in my kids' generation, 20-somethings, that they prefer to do three, four, five things at once (...cell phone, TV and emailing, for example. Or worse, driving, listening to the radio and texting.)

Researchers have been looking at this, and a recent New York Times article just reported on a Stanford study of college students. They found, says the article quoting study author Clifford Nass, "The more likely you are to multitask, the worse you are at it... The high multitaskers overly focus on the irrelevant, keep their memory very sloppy, and they're very bad at switching from one task to another."

I've heard it said that multitasking is simply interrupting yourself over and over again. Looks like that's the case. So today's challenge: do one thing at a time, focus on it until it is done, and enjoy the satisfaction and success of being present.

Strengths, Passion and Purpose

This week I had the opportunity to speak at Webster University in Sarasota as part of a four-part program,
"Stand Out In A Tough Market." We talked about passions, purpose and strengths, and as always the energy in the room intensified when the participants gathered in small groups to work through their own stories and tease out the major themes. One woman happened to have with her a gorgeous quilt she had created -- a clear and colorful example of "passion" as well as a demonstration of her strengths!