I was brushing my teeth the other morning and started thinking, “I could start making the bed while I do this!” I went in to start on the bed, and then I realized that I would need two hands to make the bed, and I had to use one hand for brushing. Hmmm….well, I could open some drawers and put away the clothes that were in the laundry basket. That would only require one hand. Great! Making maximum use of my time!
I thought about this afterward. What would have been wrong with just brushing my teeth?
We all live such fast-paced lives that the ability to multi-task is a foregone conclusion. It’s such a part of our lives that it has become a verb! It reflects the constant motion of our thoughts, the push to squeeze as many tasks as possible into less and less time. Text while you walk! Talk on the phone while you drive! Keep typing while you answer the phone and eat lunch!
The thing is, though, studies have shown that our brains really aren’t able to multi-task. We can only really focus on one task at a time, so that we are actually just switching our attention back and forth between tasks. It leaves us feeling scattered, and raises our physical and mental stress levels.
It also removes our attention from the present. We are no longer simply there in our momentary experience.
I encourage you to dip into the luxury of doing one thing at a time. When you are doing dishes, just do dishes. Feel every sensation of it, notice the simple movements in it. Just drive when you are driving, feel the steering wheel in your hands and the sensations in your foot as it presses on the gas pedal. While petting your dog, just pet your dog. Feel her fur beneath your hand, look into her eyes and kiss her on the head — or right on the lips if you like! 
The simplest tasks can be quite pleasurable. They offer peaceful respite from the hurried-ness of daily life. And they provide instant stress relief.
Peace.
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