Multitasking

You are almost outdated when you do not do at least two things at a time. Multitasking is the modern word for it. Now what does multitasking offer you, and why do you do it anyway? It should offer you some gain of time, but everyday life shows that you now only do more, only in a different way. Now this is not about whether or not multitasking should be an issue, it is rather about how your personality uses it.

First, you may notice that whenever you do more than one thing at a time, you now know for sure that neither of these tasks can have your undivided attention.

Chances that you are about to find out that a task is not nearly as fulfilling as you might have hoped, are little, as you almost only focus on the technical and outer aspects of it. You are about to score on issues like "ready", and "look at me, doing all these things at the same time", which in itself is a vicious circle: the more you do this, the more of these moments you are about to experience.

It also means that chances that your attention is distracted from your personality into nothingness, are very small, thus ensuring that you will not become aware of thought patterns or silence within you. As soon as this threatens to happen, you have one of those tasks at hand to distract you, so it is a great tool to avoid bigger issues in your life.

For example, take a closer look at the combination of eating and watching tv. Eating in itself is a bit of a boring business, so what do you do with the rest of your attention? Watching tv can be a fine supplement, so is reading. Pleasant company may also be used for that, but it is not likely to be available each time you eat.

The combination of driving your car and answering the phone is also great. These days you do not always need a hundred percent of your attention focused on the traffic, so what is there to do with the rest? Indeed, find some distraction, another thing to occupy your mind.

And how about the combination answering the phone and being on the internet, or watching tv, study, read. Or working and music, the age-old combination of washing the dishes and chatting, etc.

Multitasking is the enlarged version of the focus in your attention that says: "increase the speed of whatever you have to do and focus on the technical aspects of it, in a way that your attention is usurped for performing the task and managing the speed with which you do so in relation to other things". And that in itself is the enlarged version of "keeping yourself busy". Your personality uses each step for the same purpose: holding its grip on your life. When the skills of your personality become more sophisticated, so is the version on which you apply them.

Multitasking therefore can be seen as nothing more or less than a new way to focus your attention on the business of your personality only, thus succeeding in keeping other things from your awareness: fear for the silence within. Fear for the questions that may emerge from there. Fear for the feelings that are likely to arise. Fear for the uselesness that will enter your awareness.