Our forefathers and foremothers – even one generation back – didn’t have nearly as much digital ease as we have. But what they had was a simpler life. When I work at one thing around the house – laundry, weeding, painting – I’m reminded that simpler is sometimes what you need to help clear your mind.

If you want to test the power of a “single focus,” try picturing a column of letters A-E. Now picture a column of numbers 1-5. And finally, picture a column of letters, E-A. No problem, right?

Now picture reading across all three columns. Can you feel how your brain has to pause to get across even the first row: A-1-E. Then there’s a longer pause for B-2-D, etc. It usually takes about six times as long shifting gears between letters and numbers than it does to think of a simple list of numbers or letters in sequential order.

Your brain forms habits to help it save on energy. Your brain also loves when it can save energy by focusing on one task at a time. Tomorrow, can you make the first thing on your “to do” list be a single task that you can finish before you take a breath and move to something new? How does focusing on a single task help your productivity?

And if you’re feeling the need to get grounded, I highly recommending spending some time in the dirt 🙂

Here are a few lovelies from a weekend hiking at Scoodic Point, ME.

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