Single-tasking may be the very essence of mindfulness. Everything I mentioned in past posts revolve around this idea. When we breathe, just breathe. When we eat, just eat. When we wash our dishes, just wash. When we walk, just walk. When we read, just read. Focusing on one thing at a time brings us more attention to our present experience and will bring us more enjoyment from that activity instead of just looking forward to the future or reminiscing the past.
This is something I am still trying to get better at. Throughout my day, I am often plagued by the urge to do more things, to be more productive. I read too many articles through the day, try and get too many things done, commit to too many projects, etc. This is something that afflicts many of us in today's world. Success is often measured by how much we get done and how busy we are. The people doing the most work are regarded as the ones who are contributing the most to society. But too often we give up the quality of our work for getting more done.
Through mindfulness and discipline, I am trying to focus on doing less throughout the day, and instead giving my all to one task at a time. I can still get better at it. There is no perfection here. It is something I have to work at continuously, probably for the rest of my life. But the benefits of living more presently will sure be worth it.
Note: I don't mean to say that planning for the future or reminiscing the past is bad, but when we do those things we should be focused on doing those activities. We can make better plans for our future if we are fully involved with the present task of planning. If we are reminiscing with a friend, we will enjoy our memories more if we are present in the discussion and not half-listening and playing with our phone. Just some thoughts.