Multi-tasking plagues my life. At work it is a given, expected. At home it has become a habit. You will often spot me watching TV, laptop in lap, and iPhone in hand. Yes, I actually will be doing two things at once on my phone and laptop. Sometimes it is too much. Okay, who am I kidding? It is insane. The need to be doing three things at once gives me anxiety.
DIY is my escape. When I DIY, I focus. I work on one thing at a time…blissfully work on just one thing. DIY forces me to take a break from multitasking.
This week I am refinishing a dresser. It has been so peaceful. There is no multitasking when painting a giant piece of furniture. It is just me and my thoughts while I paint.
The focus is amazing. Not only is the paint finish turning out beautiful, but my mind has been free to think. DIY releases my mind from thinking about whatever is on the nearest screen. My mind is open. I think about my family and our blessings, I think about the home I am designing, and I think about how excited I am to share this project with my readers. I even start drafting the post in my head. The clarity is wonderful.
I DIY for a break. It is not a break from my family or from work I seek, but a break from distraction. A break from screen time. A time to work with my hands, to let my mind wander, and to let me reconnect to the real world…the unconnected life. I love it!
Check out the rest of the posts in the DIY or Buy series here.
As a patient at a world class research hospital, I was told that contrary to the current belief that we are better the more we do and get done at one time, our brains, although fast, do one thing at a time. That is why when we eat, we are to eat and savor the bites and family time as an event. Folding clothes? Fold clothes. Take time to feel them. Sounds corny but research on the brain shows that as we try to do many tasks at once, our efficiency at ALL tasks diminish. And our brains do get ‘overloaded’. We are not designed to live at a constant fast paced rush speed to accomplish more and more all at once. So that feeling you get as you DIY? You are simply proving what was said long ago and science is now backing up: Do one thing and do it well!
So never feel guilty ever again for a bit of DIYing. You are doing your brain a favor:-)