Meditation for Multitaskers<\/a>. But wait, one of those lessons is that it takes some time and not to expect the whole world to change on account of having meditated a few times. Ah, relief.<\/p>\nTo begin, the book is extremely well-written and direct. The fact is, multitasking doesn\u2019t work<\/b>. It takes our attention in six different directions and prevents us from doing a good job in any<\/u>\u00a0of the tasks at hand. To actually do anything<\/i> well, we need to drop most of the distractions of the moment and focus<\/i>.<\/p>\n
David Dillard-Wright gives a brief summary of just a few studies showing that in multitasking: productivity drops, IQ falls, accidents accumulate. All of this should be fairly obvious \u2013 ever talk on the phone with someone who is doing five other things at the same time? And yet we still<\/i>\u00a0praise and encourage multitasking. No wonder we as a society are in such bad health, physically and emotionally. And the cure? Focus. \u201cFocus is the antithesis of multitasking-related stress, and with focus you will find peace.\u201d (p.19)<\/p>\n
So true.<\/p>\n
In fact, to write this review I started out by going to a nearby park. I sat in the sunshine and, for a few minutes, simply observed the world around me. It may sound strange, but it was blissful. Now, back in my room\/office, surrounded by clutter and temptations to veer this way or that, I find myself much less at peace. Maybe it\u2019s just the coffee kicking in \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0But no, actually when I stop for a moment (like this) and simply observe, even this cluttered room, it does something<\/i>, somehow bringing calm and contentment. Crazy stuff.<\/p>\n
Back to the book. After convincing us that multitasking is bad and meditation\/focus\/peace are good, the book presents a series of exercises and tools for developing that focus, starting with just a couple minutes and working up to longer practices. It works. And as I mentioned, it is so well written that the material just comes to life. There are a couple sections that get into specific traditions\u2019 chants and the \u201cworld heart traditions\u201d that did come off as a bit superficial and unnecessary to me, but that was more than made up for by a lengthy discussion of a topic close to my own heart: ethics. And that\u2019s followed up by sections on wisdom (perfect).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t act on good thoughts if you don\u2019t have them to act on.\u201d (p.136)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There\u2019s even a section on \u201cwhat meditation can and cannot do.\u201d Basically saying, \u201clet\u2019s be honest here, some aspects of your life are going to have<\/i>\u00a0to change if you want peace and happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
The flow of development is accentuated by well-picked quotes from figures such as Bertrand Russell, Paul C\u00e9zanne, Socrates, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Anthony De Mello. Comparing it with Mindfulness to Go<\/a>, the last book I reviewed, I would say this one is a bit more \u2018heady\u2019 \u2013 which for me is a compliment. Along with the quotes, there is a section of \u2018further reading\u2019 for each chapter, giving full citations of books\/studies mentioned in the book \u2013 much appreciated by academics. So, if you like those things, get this book, if not, Meditation to Go<\/i> might be more fitting.<\/p><\/div>\n
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