One Step at a Time: A Lesson in Multitasking and Mindfulness

For most of my life, I believed I was a great multitasker. Honestly, I even took pride in it, until I started questioning whether doing everything at once was really the same as doing things well.

I remember one dinner with a friend that became a defining moment. The couple at the next table was having a heated discussion, and when we left, my friend said, “I wonder what they were arguing about.”

I blinked. “You didn’t hear? She was venting about her mother-in-law. She thinks her husband should back her up instead of siding with his mom.”

He stared. “No, I was listening to you. How do you even do that?”

At the time, I wore my skills like a badge of honor. Multitasking queen! But soon, the cracks started to show.

At work, I have a dozen documents open at any given time. I’ll fill out a form while taking a call, efficient, right? At home, I’ll start dinner, throw in a load of laundry, restock the fridge, and sometimes forget what I was supposed to be doing in the first place.

Then, two weeks ago, I attended a seminar that challenged my mindset. The speaker insisted: You can only do one thing at a time, at least, if you want to do it well. They pointed out the dangers of multitasking, like texting while driving (which, for the record, I don’t do).

That stuck with me. So I decided to test it. What if I tried doing things one by one? To keep this new mindset top of mind, I created a collage as a daily reminder, featuring a control tower, an air traffic controller and a departure board. 

Because letting urgent requests - or, let’s be honest, the more pleasant tasks - sneak in out of order only creates chaos.

My new mantra:

Stay in control. Order prevents chaos. One departure at a time.

To support this, I plan to work more intentionally with to-do lists. Not just jotting down everything I could do, but estimating how long each “departure” will take. Like a good air traffic controller, I need to ensure I’m not overloading the runway. I haven’t fully implemented this yet, but I’m hopeful it’ll help me be more realistic about what can actually take off in a single day.

Then, today, the universe decided to send me a little reminder: I forgot my watch ⌚ at home. So now, I'm on a timeless journey, and my “fitness streak” is going down the drain.

But I’m staying calm and relaxed. 🧘🏼‍♀️ Hopefully. 🤞🏻 I'll report back later.

Hold on. 

Why did I forget my watch? What happened to my new plan of doing one thing at a time? Well, my teenage son was running late and asked if I could take him to the train station. I got dressed in a hurry. This is why. Squirrel!

Confession: Even though I gracefully survived my watch-less morning at the office, I went home for lunch and retrieved it. Five black, inactive hours were staring at me, and I had to do something about it. Mid-afternoon, I had to pick up our killer pies for dinner anyway, so I squeezed in a mini hike up the stairway to heaven.

Wait, what?

There’s a prison near where I live and work, and the inmates are allowed to work in various production facilities, including carpentry, laundry, industrial assembly, and even a bakery. Every Wednesday, they bake salty and sweet pastries, which can be pre-ordered and collected from the adjacent store.

The prisoners range from burglars to murderers. So, we call their products "killer pies." And, as bizarre as it sounds, they take one thing off my mind: What’s for dinner on Wednesdays?

And that’s my Stairway to Heaven. 

It’s a hike that takes around 200 steps, climbing 50 meters (165 feet), rewarding you with a beautiful view of the medieval Lenzburg Castle, cows grazing peacefully, and the town below.

So, my experiment with doing one thing at a time continues, and while there are inevitable bumps (like forgetting my watch), I’m slowly embracing the idea that not everything has to be done at once to be done well. 

It’s a journey, and every small step counts - especially if they’re recorded on my smartwatch. 📱 

(You know, for those all-important fitness goals and calorie intake tracking!)

What helps you stay grounded when life starts spinning too fast?