Technology-Induced ADD

Alternative Title: Why Do Something If You Could Be Doing 8 Somethings And G-Chatting Too

I have always been able to focus when I need to. Sure in my day to day I am kind of flighty. A bit of a dilettante. A tad wishy washy. Insert other platitude. But when the pressure is on I can zone in on what I need to do and zone out on everything else going on around me.

But lately I have noticed a disturbing trend. I need many things going on, to be able to focus on the one thing I need to get done.

For instance, at work. If I have one task in front of me. I stare dumbly at it and sure I have no choice but to kick ass and get it done but it's a PROCESS of constantly re-motivating myself. But if I have several tasks that all need to be done pronto? I am so on top of my game. A whirlwind of activity. The elixir that is the pressure of keeping all my balls in the air presses me on.

And do you know who I blame? Do you know who's fault this is?

Oh no, not mine.

A little thing I call the INTERNET.

When the Internet first dawned in my household - I was a senior in high school and all I knew how to do was log onto AOL and check my email (holla Seamaid59!) . And I thought that was pretty awesome. But it was a simple task.

Sign on
"You've Got Mail"
Read the mail
Sign off.

Then I got into the IM chatting thing so I could keep tabs on all my friends who I just spent the whole day with.

Then I got to college and Napster dawned and Oh Hey, you can download and listen to music while checking my email and talking to people online.

And oh whatup you could research term papers online while you listen to and download music and talk to your friends and email online.

Then online shopping dawned on me and my checking account has been screwed ever since.

The point is, I am used to having a lot going on at once. Used to maintaining several activities at the same time. So when I just have one or two? I quite frankly have no idea what to do with myself. And my proclivity towards internet ADD has spilled over into real life. Even something simple like watching TV. Am I ever comfortable simply watching TV and doing nothing else. No (Ok, only when True Blood is on). I more prefer to be organizing my closet while watching TV. Or playing on my DSi while watching TV. Or doing my nails and talking on the phone and reading a magazine while watching TV.

And what is the cost of all this? Yes I feel super productive. And I get a lot done in 1 day. But my mind never has a minute's peace!

To this end I have started a regimen of Qi Gong to try and just unplug and not be going in a million directions at once, at least once or twice a week. Do you know about Qi Gong? I DVR'd a few episodes of "Qi Gong for Beginners" on PBS and have been trying it out. It's like yoga but, were you to watch people doing it, looks slightly more ridiculous. In an awesome way though. The first time I did it I got a splitting headache. Ah, the birth of good health. But it is a nice way to just focus on one thing and let everything else go for a little while....

...if only I wasn't running through food shopping lists or things undone at work in my mind while I was doing it. Then again maybe that's why my cooking has taken an Asian twist the past couple of weeks.

This blog post was in no way brought on by the fact that Gmail was down for an hour this afternoon.