Lifestyle

[Honeylioness]

Trying To Do Too Much?

New Research Says Multitasking Actually Slows You Down. Here's How To Be More Productive--And Less Crazed

By Alexis Jetter
More from Good Housekeeping


Lisa Maxwell, 31, a fitness trainer and mother of three from Cookeville, Tennessee, considers herself a master multitasker. She routinely answers her children's homework questions while running on a treadmill, and she drills her kids on spelling from a list she reads while driving them to school. Of course, there is the occasional mess-up: Last summer, she was cooking, cleaning, and helping her kids with their science projects when she noticed the house smelled funny. "We had guests coming, so I'd sprayed what I thought was room deodorizer," she says with a rueful laugh. "I'd done half the house before I realized it was Pledge."

Most of us can relate. In fact, multitasking-starting one task before finishing another, a kind of warp-speed juggling-feels like the only way to power through our to-do list these days. Like the subtitle of psychiatrist Edward Hallowell's new book, Crazy Busy, we are "Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap." But are we really getting more done? And at what cost?

If you're reading this while doing something else, stop for a second. Because new studies are proving that the old adage is true: You really can't do two things at once-at least not well. And the research also shows something most of us would never suspect: If you multitask relentlessly, you can jeopardize your health in ways both large and small.

The idea of multitasking comes from computers, which appear to perform many functions at the same time. But the analogy is misleading. Most computers flip back and forth between tasks-and your brain operates in much the same way. It is literally impossible to pay conscious attention to more than one thing at once, notes Dr. Hallowell, a former Harvard Medical School instructor. So "you end up paying conscious attention to several tasks in rapid succession: making macaroni and cheese, unloading the dryer, feeding the dog," he explains.

But switching between tasks wastes precious time because the brain is compelled to restart and refocus. "Each time you have this alternation, there's a period in which you'll make no progress on either task," says David Meyer, Ph.D., director of the Brain, Cognition, and Action Lab at the University of Michigan. "It's mental dead time." The result: It takes longer to finish any one chore, and you don't do it nearly as well as you would had you given it your full attention.

Good stress, bad stress

Multitasking, almost by definition, involves stress-which means the brain signals the body to begin the rapid-fire release of the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol. Of course, stress is not always a bad thing. You need your brain's stress response to help you perform well under pressure, says Esther Sternberg, M.D., author of The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, and a leading researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health. It's what gets you out of danger or past that deadline. But if you multitask continually, Dr. Sternberg warns, "your brain and your body don't have time to recover from that rush of cortisol. And that can make you sick."

Here's why: Cortisol is also the body's most potent anti-inflammatory drug. And if too much of it is pumped out continuously, "your immune cells are not going to be able to fight infection when they need to," explains Dr. Sternberg. Cortisol overload, she adds, can contribute to serious medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

And that's not all: Over time, say experts, stress can kill neurons in precisely the area of the brain that multitaskers rely on: the prefrontal cortex, which helps you switch between tasks and stores key memories.

Finally, the stress of multitasking may also impair your ability to concentrate. "We've so trained ourselves to be ready for interruption that we're not paying attention to anything," Dr. Hallowell maintains. "The two things that people think they have these days-but don't-are attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Alzheimer's disease. They're just overloaded from a severe case of modern life."

Cell-phone peril

Dr. Hallowell's description would seem to apply to Michelle Silverman, who has turned multitasking into an extreme sport. Every weekday morning, Silverman, 33, a lawyer and new mother from central New Jersey, gets into her Volvo sedan, veers onto the highway, and pulls out her cell phone, BlackBerry, and breast pump. As she slides into traffic, Silverman punches out e-mail messages and holds a conference call with clients, while simultaneously affixing the pump to her right breast and plugging it into her car adaptor. "I know I'm not alone," says Silverman, referring to her behind-the-wheel high-wire act. "Why else would they make breast pumps with car adaptors?"

Yet multitasking behind the wheel is a very risky business. Last year, researchers at the University of Utah reported that attempting to navigate traffic while talking on a cell phone increases the chance of an accident 500 percent-making it at least as great a risk as driving drunk. While talking on a cell phone, the drivers in the study failed to notice even life-or-death cues such as red lights up ahead. And drivers who used a hands-free phone fared no better. That's because the problem isn't physical dexterity-it's focus. In the human mind, what you're thinking about takes precedence over what you're actually seeing or doing.

A distraction is to blame for nearly 80 percent of all traffic accidents, according to another recent study, this one sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And cell phones were the main culprit. (However, talking to a passenger while driving isn't nearly as risky, the Utah study's authors say, because passengers are likely to notice a change in the roadway and stop talking or call the driver's attention to it.)

So much for driving and cell phoning. But reality check: Is it ever OK to multitask? Actually, yes-when one of the tasks is so routine, you don't need to concentrate on it at all.

Mind over matter

The control center of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, can handle just one new thing at a time, explains Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., chief of the cognitive neuroscience section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. But as tasks become more familiar, their operating instructions move deeper into the brain. There, the basal ganglia-islands of nuclei responsible for movement-handle activities that require almost no thought. So, for example, "when you're walking and talking," says Grafman, "the basal ganglia does the walking, while the frontal cortex does the talking."

Another way to look at it: You can combine tasks that use different sensory channels in your brain. It's tough to send an e-mail and carry on a phone conversation (not that many of us don't try). But it's pretty easy to fold clothes while listening to the weather report on the radio-unless, that is, a winter storm warning is announced. As you visualize the coming storm, your mental imagery and actual eye movements will struggle for dominance-and your mind will always win. Soon you'll begin putting mismatched socks together.

Young vs. old

By now you may be wondering: Aren't there exceptions to these rules? For example, aren't young people, with their agile minds, better equipped to multitask than the rest of us? "I'm not comfortable unless I have seven windows open on my desktop," declares Hillary Miller, 26, a playwright and teacher in Brooklyn. Online, she'll read a script, check e-mail, scan a newspaper, and shop for leather-free handbags-pretty much at the same time. But Miller admits she's not really concentrating on anything: "I have no focus. It's just a compulsion."

Young people can switch more quickly between tasks, confirms Jordan Grafman, because they've grown up with the new technology and trained themselves to use it. "But," he adds, "that makes them even more prone to sacrifice quality." Says David Meyer: "The brain is wired in ways that impose limitations. Nobody-no kid, CEO, or world-class athlete-can overcome that."

Turn off, reboot

So how do you get more done without multitasking-or at least without multitasking to excess? Preparation is one answer. Reflecting on the day ahead helps prime the mind, enabling it to rehearse the tasks it has performed before, says Grafman. Prioritize what must get done, and then make a schedule rather than a to-do list, advises Dr. Hallowell.

Discipline is also part of the mix. When you're working, he says, train yourself to deflect distractions, whether it's the ding of the e-mail in your in-box (check it when you're done, or turn off the sound), the start of a favorite TV show (record it for later), or the ring of the phone (let the answering machine pick up).

Most important, spend some part of each day clearing your mind. Meditate, take a walk, exercise, stare into space. The key is to wipe the mental slate clean, giving those overtaxed neurons a chance to recoup. This can yield unexpected benefits: As Dutch researchers recently reported in the journal Science, the unconscious mind is often a better problem-solver than the focused one.

Dr. Sternberg suggests you think about the original multitasking model: the computer. Trying to do too many things at once is like sending e-mail spam to your brain. When that onslaught freezes the computer, the only fix is to turn it off and reboot. Dr. Sternberg believes you should show the same compassion for your human hard drive. "You're pushing your brain beyond its capacity," she says. "You wouldn't do that to your car or your computer. But you do it to yourself all the time. Stop and take a break."

The Joy Of Unitasking: One Woman's Story
By Jenny Allen

Yesterday, watching the news while using the elliptical machine at the gym, I tried to speed up my pace by...turning up the volume on the TV. I do it all the time. I also regularly forget to unplug my headset before walking away, treating my fellow gymgoers to the spectacle of my jerking to a sudden, yanked stop.

I never laughed when people used to joke about President Gerald Ford not being able to walk and chew gum at the same time, because I didn't really find it that funny. I actually can walk and chew gum at the same time. But, truly, I understand why others might find it taxing. When it comes to multitasking, I am more competent only by a hair, and sometimes not even that.

More than once, I've found myself standing in my bedroom closet holding, say, a screwdriver and a cup of coffee, as clueless as a sleepwalker about what I am doing there. And I cannot answer the phone while writing an e-mail without sending the message to the wrong person-or calling the person on the phone by the name of the person I'm e-mailing.

Obviously, I am especially unsuited for multitasking; but I would argue that, while most of us are doing it, none of us is doing it very well.

If you are playing a family board game while making cookies for your block's bake sale, are you really playing a board game with your family, or driving everyone crazy by jumping up to check the oven every five minutes? Why have women signed on to do so many things at once? We don't, after all, expect men to multitask. A man lying on the sofa reading the newspaper is busy. A woman lying on the sofa reading the newspaper is underemployed and interruptible-a signal her family picks up because she herself sends it out. We seem to consider ourselves unworthy unless we make ourselves available to our family and others all of the time-and there's no way to do that without cramming every minute with two or three chores.

Consider the opening scene of a movie (I'm making up the scene, but we've all watched similar ones): A woman drives a car full of noisy children to school while soothing her harried boss on the phone while cooing at the baby who's spit up in his car seat. This scene is not the premise of the movie that follows, which is always about something else-extraterrestrials visiting the woman's suburb or her husband's affair with his 20-year-old assistant or whatever. This scene is there to show us life as usual before everything goes kerblooey-Mom having a normal American day in contrast to the chaos soon to befall her. But entire movies have been built around the premise of Dad having this same day (because Mom died, or went to visit her sister). And these movies are considered hilarious. Dad wiping up baby spit while talking to the boss on the phone-how sidesplitting!

Of course, we women do not do ourselves any favors: "How do you do so much!" we compliment each other. And: "I wish I could juggle as many balls as you!" I think we should stop giving each other points for wearing ourselves to a nubbin, stop comparing ourselves unfavorably to frantic acquaintances who cannot sit still, even for a moment. Let them careen along at hyperspeed while we stay in the slow lane. Maybe, when they get tired enough, they will join us. We'll have them over for a night of our kind of multitasking: doing our nails, say, while watching something really dumb on television. Better yet, just watching something dumb on television. We'll call it unitasking and invite others to join our new club.



lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/just-dreaming/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8318409

[Honeylioness]

How to Get the Life You Want

You've been putting it off forever — that secret dream to start a business, write a book, run a marathon.... Whatever your desire, ignoring it means denying who you really are. And don't you deserve better? Here, your no-excuses, no-regrets guide to answering the voice in your head that says, "I want more."

By Kristyn Kusek Lewis



You're many things - maybe a wife and mom, prized employee, baker extraordinaire, or president of your block association. But perhaps there's another side of you that's itching to show itself, a yearning you're desperate to follow - to, say, bring out your artistic side or get a psychology degree. Or maybe you don't know what you want, because a dream you once had isn't in sync with who you are now, or because you're overwhelmed with all the choices out there.

Wherever you are on the dream spectrum, your aspiration may be slipping away. "We let our dreams lag because our overcommitted lives make them seem impractical," says life coach Laura Berman Fortgang, author of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction. "We're spread so thin that it's hard to be 'selfish' and put your efforts toward something just for you." Plus, going after a goal may be scary: The fear of failure - or of how your life will change if you succeed - can be paralyzing.

Well, it's time to get moving! Here's why: When your day-to-day existence gets packed with too many "have-to's" and not enough "want-to's," you can end up with a constant, low-grade "Is this all there is?" kind of fever. And that's no way to live.

So use this workbook to help you achieve your wildest fantasies in whatever way they might fit into your life today. Over the past year, three women have been featured in REDBOOK magazine's Live Your Dream series. These women, Denise Mabilog, Cate Colburn-Smith, and Deb Busser, have accomplished amazing things - from publishing a book to singing in a rock band! Now, we're bringing their success secrets to you, with the help of Fortgang, who coached them. Ask yourself the following questions, and then read on to pinpoint your dream - and what it says about you. Then learn how to make it happen.

Ask yourself: Is there a passion you've abandoned because there's no room for it in your "real life"?

Photography or tennis or painting or sewing or...?

The mountain of responsibilities we take on as adults often leads us to abandon activities that once brought us joy. Maybe as a child you lived for tennis camp, but haven't picked up a racket since you had your own kids. For 42-year-old Denise Mabilog of Swedesboro, NJ, the fantasy of becoming a photographer - a dream she clung to through the time she graduated college - gave way to a challenging law career.

Why do we let go of pastimes we love? According to Fortgang, adulthood - and all that comes with it - makes us feel like we're not allowed to pursue activities just for sheer pleasure. Hobbies become indulgences that we get to enjoy after all the "important stuff" is done (and what a joke that is - how often does your to-do list get shorter?!).

Fortunately, passions are persistent - as much as you try to push 'em away, they're always there, itching to be let back into your life. As Mabilog can attest, reigniting a dream is well worth it: "I used to tell myself that photography would be a waste of time," she says. "Now I take pictures every day. I even set up a portrait studio in my basement! My life is busier than ever, but it's richer than ever, too!" Here's how to rekindle your passion.

Step 1: Give yourself permission.

When you think, I should use my time for more productive things, tell yourself that your dream activity does have a purpose - namely, to give you happiness, which will buoy you as you tackle everyday tasks, from preparing dinner to leading a meeting at work.

To make your commitment stick, get "permission" from your family, too, by explaining why you want the time. Mabilog's husband and son worried that her photography hobby would steal her away from them, but once she emphasized how passionate she was about her dream and that they wouldn't be neglected, their anxieties vanished. "When I told my 8-year-old how much my hobby meant to me, he really got it," she says. "Now, when new equipment for my studio comes in the mail, he's the first to say, 'Mom! Let's go set this stuff up!'"

Step 2: Make room for your dream - literally.

The writer Virginia Woolf famously said that one of the keys to a woman's freedom is having a room of one's own. Claiming a space where you can indulge in your passion is like saying, "X marks the spot." It's an expression of your decision to take your dream seriously.

So designate a writing area in your living room. Place an easel in a corner of the bedroom. Don't need a specific spot to practice your passion? Make an altar to your effort: Display items that move you (photographs, a row of vintage fountain pens) or create an "inspiration board" by pinning motivating clippings to a bulletin board (a poem you love, an ad for an exhibit you want to attend). When Mabilog set up her basement studio and hung her photographs around her home, she started to feel like the real deal.

Step 3: Set a date.

Every type of goal needs structure, says Fortgang. Otherwise, real life just washes over it like a tidal wave and sweeps it away. To build a solid foundation for this or any dream, construct a schedule: Decide how much time you'll devote to your hobby, whether it's an hour each night or twice a week for two hours, and block it off on a calendar - this "makes a promise" to that time and, by extension, to yourself.

Then, commit to that schedule for 90 days - that's just long enough to create a habit; face the challenges of making room for your dream in your busy life; and decide if you're going to keep at your goal for good, says Fortgang. "As you move along, don't judge the time you're using or try to measure whether it's productive," she adds. "Just get absorbed in the activity, and follow the joy as it develops."

Ask yourself: Are you ready to finally tackle the burden or bad habit that's been dragging you down?

Quit smoking or lose weight or stop biting your nails or be on time or...?

To truly commit to these more "ordinary" yearnings, you need to give them the same emotional investment and time as "bigger" dreams. Know, too, that tackling this type of goal may be especially difficult for you if you've tried - and failed - to achieve it in the past. Or perhaps it's daunting because you're not sure you're ready to do the hard work it requires. Either way, the longer you let yourself live with this albatross, the more your self-esteem suffers. To change all that:

Step 1: Make a vow.

Quit procrastinating on this dream by being honest with yourself: Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper to create two columns; label one side "Why Now" and one "Why Not." In the "Why Now" column, list the reasons why it's the right time to meet the challenge (for instance, if you want to lose weight, one reason to go for it might be that you found out a friend has prediabetes, which was a wake-up call for you). On the "Why Not" side, note why it's not a good time (it might be unrealistic to commit to daily workouts right before two busy weeks of business travel).

Now, weigh the two sides: If you're ready to commit to your goal, write a promise to yourself at the bottom of the page, and put it in a place where you'll see it often, like on your bathroom mirror. If you decide that now isn't the time for this goal, decide when to revisit it. Write that aspiration in big red letters on your calendar.

Step 2: Find your cheerleaders.

"Accountability is the key to success," explains Fortgang. "You don't want to be left to your own devices when the going gets tough." Your support system can include family, friends, even someone you hire (such as a personal trainer). You might also want to try an online chat group like the stop-smoking site Quitnet.com, or check out "Drop the Weight for Good," to meet the women in REDBOOK's Real-Life Healthy Life program, and then form your own weight-loss support group (go to meetup.com/redbook for details).

Tell your pep squad that you'll check in with them at a specific, regular time with a status report (as in, "I'll email you after my weekly weigh-in every Friday morning") and when you need extra reinforcement ("The ice cream in the fridge is screaming to me - talk me out of it").

Step 3: Pat yourself on the back - regularly.

"Working toward your goal is an accomplishment in and of itself," says Fortgang. So reward yourself weekly: Put $5 toward a "new outfit fund," or give yourself a bouquet of flowers for staying smoke-free.

Be especially kind to yourself when you have setbacks. Instead of beating yourself up or quitting altogether, examine why you veered off course, figure out what you need to do to stay on track, and remind yourself that you're the smart, capable CEO of your busy life - and you have all the tools you need to keep moving forward! "Remember: You get to start over every day, every hour, every minute!" says Fortgang.

Ask yourself: Are you ready to reach for something really huge that you never thought you could accomplish?

Write a book or go back to school or renovate your home or start a volunteer group or...?

Your dream is a capital-B big one - and it feels like a mountain you're not sure you can climb. "These are 'wouldn't it be great if...' dreams," says Fortgang. "What's difficult about them is that people get tripped up by the 'how.' It's such a huge undertaking that you feel like you need to know how to do the whole thing from the get-go - and because you can't see the end, you think you don't know how to start."

That's what happened to 40-year-old Cate Colburn-Smith of Boulder, CO, who sat on the idea for her book, The Milk Memos, for two years before she finally went ahead and decided to do something about it. "I thought it would be impossible because I didn't know anything about publishing," she says. "But the experience taught me that it's okay to just start doing the work before you really know what you're doing." To jump right in:

Step 1: Hunt and gather.

Get your hands on any info you can find about what it'll take to attain your goal. Read online, check out books and magazines, investigate courses and local adult-education centers and colleges, and talk to people who've done what you want to do. Don't know anyone with "connections"? Call associations that represent the subject area that interests you (if you want to become a massage therapist, call the American Massage Therapy Association) or visit businesses related to your dream (Want a horticulture degree? Chat up the salesperson at your local garden center). "This is a confidence-builder because it helps squash the feeling that you need to know it all from the outset," says Fortgang.

Step 2: Tackle your fear.

When you're embarking on something huge that you've never done before, it's completely natural to be scared. "You're out on a limb without a net and you don't know what the outcome will be," says Fortgang. Keep your nerves under control by having an "anchor" - a tangible reminder of your goal that you can refer to when you start to wonder why the heck you're putting yourself through all this. That anchor might be anything from a mission statement that you write in your journal, to an object you keep on your desk, to a person (your husband, your sister, a close friend) you can turn to for encouragement whenever you need it.

Step 3: Take baby steps.

You don't need to know how to get from point A to point Z when you start. Write up a plan of small to-do's that will take you to one milestone, and then keep repeating the process until you've reached your goal. "The enormity of the task of writing a book proposal really worried me and my coauthor since we both have kids and full-time jobs," recalls Colburn-Smith. "Breaking the project down into bite-size chunks made it feel manageable and kept us moving from one step to the next." Multiple mini-goals also give you plenty of opportunities to celebrate your many accomplishments, which will keep you motivated all along the way to the finish line!

Step 4: Walk your walk.

When your hard work starts paying off - say, you've been accepted to a graduate school program or you've written half the recipes for your cookbook - act like the expert you are by identifying yourself that way, which will help you take yourself seriously. When introducing yourself, get in the habit of saying, "I'm a writer" or "I'm a chef." Or get business cards printed up with your new info, as Colburn-Smith did. Don't be wishy-washy about it: Statements like "I'm trying to be an author" or "I'm sort of working on becoming a therapist" can mentally sabotage you, while treating yourself like a complete success reminds you that you will be one!

Ask yourself: Is it time to cash in on a moneymaking idea that will make you feel more self-sufficient?

Go back to work or open a bakery or switch careers or launch a Web-based business or...?

On the surface this dream has a lot to do with financial gain and security, but it really arises from a need to find a vocation that has meaning for you - one where your "work self" and your "true self" can meet. As Fortgang puts it, "It's not just what you do, but who you get to be when you're doing it." The hardest part about this kind of goal is convincing yourself that you're qualified to take it on, says Fortgang. Here's how to muster your courage.

Step 1: Redefine "expert."

You might think that people who succeed in their field spend years learning about their craft before they take a single step forward. Not so! "I tell clients to start thinking of an 'expert' as someone who knows how to get the answers, not someone who knows all the answers," says Fortgang. So do some investigating to find out the first step you need to take to make your dream a reality - which will instantly empower you. Should you get a degree or advanced training? Does anyone else have a patent for your product idea? Even the tiniest bit of information will help propel you forward.

Step 2: Road-test your dream.

Small forays are fine. Substitute or volunteer at a school before you commit to a full-time teaching career. Gauge reactions to your dream of opening a bakery by offering to sell sweets at your kid's next school function. A little experience will help you fine-tune your plan and determine your potential for success before you take big risks with your time or money.

Step 3: Establish a time frame.

"When I started my life-coaching business 15 years ago, my husband and I decided I'd try it for one year, and then I'd evaluate my progress and decide whether to move forward," says Fortgang. By having a specific "just try it out" period, you stay focused on your goal without any do-or-die pressure.

Ask yourself: Do you have the guts to go after the "just once" dream you've never dared to try?

Run a marathon or go on an African safari or sing in a rock band or try skydiving or...?

These "one-hit wonder" dreams often represent deeper longings, says Fortgang, that might not even be on your radar. Take, for instance, 40-year-old Deb Busser of Dunstable, MA, who dreamed of singing with a rock band. Busser discovered that achieving this goal was really a way to prove that she could fearlessly just be herself in front of a group and become a motivational speaker. Here's how to accomplish your fantasy and reveal the hidden desire it can represent.

Step 1: Build in a "can't flake out" clause.

Onetime, daring dreams take guts, so find a way to avoid chickening out. Enlist a friend to join you in your skydiving adventure, and put down a nonrefundable deposit. Invite everyone you know to come to the poetry slam where you'll read your work. Busser turned her rock-star fantasy into a "Battle of the Bands" charity event, which meant she had to get on stage no matter what. "The experience taught me that I could be okay with being nervous and just relinquish control and go for it," she says. "It was one of the most amazing - and liberating - feelings I've ever experienced!"

Step 2: Use your skills.

So what if you've never run more than three miles? Use the talents you already have as a tool kit for training for that marathon: Think of times when you used the mind-over-matter discipline your goal requires (Hel-lo! Childbirth?). Busser, a human resources consultant, used her business skills when she pitched her fund-raiser concept to a community group, who loved her idea and put the plan in motion.

Step 3: Uncover your deeper dream.

Ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?" If it's just to have fun, great! But under-the-surface reasons are worth exploring: Your mountain-climbing dream might actually symbolize a desire to prove to yourself that you're brave enough to tackle another difficult obstacle in your life. Your wish to see the European city that your grandparents emigrated from may represent a yearning to strengthen your family ties at home. Once you've figured out what's really behind your "just once" fantasy, you'll be that much more motivated to give both pursuits your all!

Whatever your goal, you've already got the tools to stop dreaming and start doing.

"Once you've cut through all the baloney and the beliefs that have held you back," says Fortgang, "there's no limit to what you can achieve." And here's a bonus: Being true to yourself by following your heart's desire benefits not only you, but also the people you love. That's because giving to yourself recharges your spirit - which enables you to give more of yourself as a wife, a mom, a friend. The bottom line: Being 100 percent who you are - not 75 percent, and not 86.7 percent - is the not-so-hidden key to a happier life. And what could be more important than that?


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