Hi there. Today I want to reflect on the topic of mindfulness.
In today, people are used to doing multiple things simultaneously, without paying adequate attention to any one of them. People are watching a movie and scrolling through social networks at the same time, talking with friends and simultaneously messaging each other, reading a book or an article and constantly being distracted by something else, driving a car and watching YouTube at the same time. There are many such examples.
Technologies and media makers worsen the situation by enabling individuals to open windows over each other, such as a mini player YouTube , and thereby provoking us to interact with multiple applications at the same time. Music videos, video blogs, series, and even movies are becoming shorter because producers and directors know that people cannot focus on a single thing for long.
To understand how much this phenomenon affects our lives, try to remember what you just did on your smartphone. Now, take it and check how many apps are open. Did you actually give your full attention to all of them? Or are they open just because they always open , and you do not even realize that you keep opening them?
It's just a habit, like wiping glasses or scratching chin.
Think about the last time you watched a movie attentively. Can you remember any details beyond the primary plot, such as dialogues? If not, then why?
Do you recall all the outcomes of that work meeting when you were seemingly listening, but Twitter could not wait?
While there are some situations where multitasking makes sense and saves time, it is important to differentiate between being in a state of two actions and trying to do two things at once. Let me explain: for instance, if you are commuting to work on a train, on a route that you have taken hundreds of times before, and there is no novelty to this ride, then it is perfectly reasonable to listen to an audio lesson in a foreign language. You are not affecting the movement of the train, your mind is not occupied with the perception of the surrounding information, and your attention is solely on the audio lesson.
It's a completely different matter if you're listening to an audio lesson and scrolling through the news feed at the same time. It's better to just look out the window for the entire trip. You won't absorb half of what you're listening to, and you won't fully comprehend half of what you're reading.
Some may think of the subconscious, but it doesn't work like that (I'll write about it later).
For now, I won't draw any conclusions or recommendations. I'll just ask for one thing. Ask yourself periodically: Am I doing just one thing right now? Am I doing it consciously, or maybe have I self created conditions that divide my attention to something else, something that's not important right now and only hinders concentration?
Thank you for your attention. I have many more thoughts on this and other topics related to our mind and consciousness. Let me know if you liked or didn't like this article. Is it worth continuing?
