A serious problem with multi-tasking
I continue to face a large hurdle in my life of multi-tasking, The curse of the polymath. That is the paralyzing nature of too many choices. I have opened myself to so many options, too many avenues of study and practice that it is nearly impossible to achieve any one thing. The moment i start to get on a roll writing i feel the tug of music, when i get into a flow of SIAP I feel neglect toward painting. Sadly however, the fear of these feelings keeps me from even starting these tasks. And lately i have been so distracted by the mundanities of regular life that i have put aside my main tasks. So, this post is one part admitting a problem and three parts personal motivation to overcome my fear of choosing. Perhaps it is best to make a time chart and just settle into a schedule, Despite having a fear of lists and schedules......
Multitasking
Achieving the amount of output I demand of myself has required a honing of my multitasking skills. It is a crucial part of the successful modern polymath. For an example: While I type this I am shooting electricity into my weakest muscles, litening to an audiobook (to improve my business model), reviewing paperwork for my mundaine job, eating a sandwich, and ontop of all of those things I try to keep my brain bouncing around abstractly in hopes that it will stumble upon a new and useful idea for my art.
There have been a number of studies on multi-tasking and it's effects on productivity. It turns out that people often get sloppier the more they attempt to do. This may be true of me and perhaps instead of doing one thing well I am in effect doing a bunch of things to mediocrity, but the point is that I am doing things. It is important to note that when facing a task of major importance I will focus all of my effort to it. Any one who has lived for longer than a few years however, will have found that the number of important tasks is far outweighed by the tasks of relative ease. It is important therefor to learn the difference before considering multitasking.
I don't always multitask, it is a skill I keep in my bag for when opertunity provides. If I have a task that requires one-on-one work I schedule a specific time to accomplish it. When there are a number of simple and small things that I can overlap I do so accordingly.
I have met many people that did not think that they could multitask but when they were encouraged to and after they practiced a little, they became much more productive and much happier. I would hope that you after reading this will try multitasking more. Start with a few small things that are easy to manage that will not ruin your life if not done perfectly. (Read a book while eating, Explain your political views out loud while washing the dishes, do exercises while watching TV) The possibilities are endless. You are only limited by your imagination, just remember to practice often. A skill is not developed overnight.
That is all I have for now. I will get back with you soon. Leave me comments about the things that you like to mulitask. Tell me about times you have failed while multitasking. As always, go to my website to learn more about my various projects, and follow me on the social medias.
There have been a number of studies on multi-tasking and it's effects on productivity. It turns out that people often get sloppier the more they attempt to do. This may be true of me and perhaps instead of doing one thing well I am in effect doing a bunch of things to mediocrity, but the point is that I am doing things. It is important to note that when facing a task of major importance I will focus all of my effort to it. Any one who has lived for longer than a few years however, will have found that the number of important tasks is far outweighed by the tasks of relative ease. It is important therefor to learn the difference before considering multitasking.
I don't always multitask, it is a skill I keep in my bag for when opertunity provides. If I have a task that requires one-on-one work I schedule a specific time to accomplish it. When there are a number of simple and small things that I can overlap I do so accordingly.
I have met many people that did not think that they could multitask but when they were encouraged to and after they practiced a little, they became much more productive and much happier. I would hope that you after reading this will try multitasking more. Start with a few small things that are easy to manage that will not ruin your life if not done perfectly. (Read a book while eating, Explain your political views out loud while washing the dishes, do exercises while watching TV) The possibilities are endless. You are only limited by your imagination, just remember to practice often. A skill is not developed overnight.
That is all I have for now. I will get back with you soon. Leave me comments about the things that you like to mulitask. Tell me about times you have failed while multitasking. As always, go to my website to learn more about my various projects, and follow me on the social medias.
What makes a Polymath?
pol·y·math
/ˈpälēˌmaTH/
noun
- a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.
Throughout history there have been many people that have worn the title of "Polymath."
Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton to name a few in the foreground.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton to name a few in the foreground.
To compare one's self to the likes of these seems tantamount to gloating. I would never claim to be a genius, especially as compared to these and other notable polymaths. In truth I think that all humans are naturally born polymaths. Watch the interests of a child as they change and dive into many things, even on a daily scale. The young are gluttons for knowledge but our society has been set up to eliminate that drive in order to create good working class citizens. If a child is interested in too many things for example, you are encouraged to medicate/sedate them until they can join the zombie ranks. It is no coincidence that as the industrialization of humanity has increased bringing the availability of jobs to more and more people the comparative decrease of polymaths and innovation came about.
I (like most people in this world I expect) was raised to think that "being a jack of all trades" was something generally frowned upon by society at large, with the follow up in the common vernacular of "and a master of none." It is beaten into us from birth that you should find one thing you are good at and once you have focused all of your potential into one avenue then figure out a way to do that every day until you die. I found that (at least in American society) how valuable you are as a person is measured by your ability to do something you may or may not hate, while someone pays you the least they possibly can to do it, and occasionally they dangle a promotion or a raise out there for all the peons to eat each other over. This is if you have a "good" job. If you are lucky enough not to get replaced, fired, injured, dead, or any other thing that the job doesn't approve of you might even make it to 70 and get to retire, which is where they give you a 20 dollar pen and pay you even less than you have barely been surviving on till that point and expect you to just hide away from society so we can forget about you till you die. This is the American dream. Ask any kid in high school, hell, any elementary kid to fill in the blank in this sentence: "go to school, get an education, get a good ______, get married, and have kids" you could probably leave any section of that out and they could still do it. Because that is the American dream as it is drilled into you as often as the pledge of allegiance or national anthem. Make someone else wealthy while you scrape buy (spelled thusly on purpose)
Wow, I got a little off subject there, so I cast aside my depressive conspiracy for productive encouragement:
I would like to see a world of tomorrow where every one has a large pallet of skills that they can draw from. I heard someone say once that a skilled person does not need any tools to complete any task or goal, just the knowledge from their life and the things they have at hand. I dream of a society of Macgyvers essentially. So I do my part by expanding my personal knowledge of as many things as I can. I also hope to inspire others to be more multi-talented by offering tips, ideas, and resources to realize the potential genetically locked into each of us.
What about you?
What different kinds of things do you all like to get up to?
What do you think of polymaths in general?
Who are some of your favourite polymaths of history or today?
Leave some comments and follow me to see more great stuff to come it the future
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Ambidexterity
I honestly think that all people are not only capable of being Polymaths, but that we do more work stifling that ability then we do cultivating it. There are many things we can do to increase our ability to exceed our expectations in life and lots of little steps that bring us closer to being a polymath and sharpen our life tools. One of these necessary skills is being ambidextrous.
With the limitations of space impeded by the steady increase of human population, we can no longer afford our artifacts to be only single use tools. The rising trend of housing is to create spaces that can be used for different tasks throughout the day. This necessity is no less true of our bodies and our minds.
I am not sure why we settle with having one dominant hand, or why more parents don't help their kids develop both arms equally during the formative years. I am also appalled by the practice of some religions that stigmatize left hand use.
Unless you began at an early age, learning to have full use of both sides of your body is a steep road, but it can be achieved! As with all things though, it takes commitment, patience, and practice.
All the things you habitually do with your dominant hand, just switch when you are in an environment to do so. I find that I have the most chances for this when I am doing things around the house.
Here is a list of some ways to improve the use of your non dominant parts:
Stretching and exploring - at least once a day it is helpful to your health to do a good stretch, during this activity you can and should be exploring the limitations of your joints. Starting at the tip of the fingers on your non-dominant hand explore each joint and section till you get to your shoulder, doing this daily and with each part of your body will, over time, make you more dexterous and agile and give you a much keener awareness of your body.
Eating - It is fun (and entertaining to onlookers) to try eating with the hand you typically leave resting on the table. Next meal you have, put the fork in your weaker hand.
Throwing rocks - If you have space enough to do it is helpful to throw rocks, learning the mechanics of your arm. Take turns throwing with your dominant arm then your non dominant. When I use my right for example, I study the way it moves to generate force, how I move it toward a desired target, how I cradle the weight of the rock, when in the arc I release the rock from my hand, then in slow motion I replicate the mirror of those movements in my left arm. (I still look really silly and have no aim with my left arm, but I am improving)
Showering - If you typically wash with your right hand, try washing your whole body with your left, take your time and learn the physical limitations and range of your left arm.
Dishes - I often take the time to wash my dishes by hand and this is a great chance to practice ambidexterity. I simply put the wash rag in my weaker hand. This helps not only the small motor skills but having to pay attention to actually cleaning the dish helps form the links in your brain, concentrating builds and strengthens neuron bridges to your hand that were not there.
Any form of weight/strength training - While holding anything with weight (books, a child, some dishes, dumbbells, medicine ball etc.) fully extend your non-dominant arm with the object in your hand, do this for as long as you can before your arm gives up.
If you can't do this with objects, all you need is a door frame or wall. Just place your non-dominant hand against the wall and lean into it till all of your weight is upon it, or put your hand on the opposite side of a door frame from your body and lean away, both are examples of using your own weight resistance to build strength
I have been practicing these and other techniques for many years and still my left arm is not as strong as my right, but it is almost as dexterous. In normal every day activities my left arm can keep up and is severely helpful. I have noticed a large increase in my productivity because of my ability to use both of my arms freely.
It takes a bit of work and rewriting your mindset, but the payout is infinite.
So, let me know if any of you are already ambidextrous, what type of activities can you do with both sides?
What type of exercises do you do to strengthen your non-dominant side?
Can you right legibly with doth hands?
until next time: fight against stagnation, adapt or die.
With the limitations of space impeded by the steady increase of human population, we can no longer afford our artifacts to be only single use tools. The rising trend of housing is to create spaces that can be used for different tasks throughout the day. This necessity is no less true of our bodies and our minds.
I am not sure why we settle with having one dominant hand, or why more parents don't help their kids develop both arms equally during the formative years. I am also appalled by the practice of some religions that stigmatize left hand use.
Unless you began at an early age, learning to have full use of both sides of your body is a steep road, but it can be achieved! As with all things though, it takes commitment, patience, and practice.
All the things you habitually do with your dominant hand, just switch when you are in an environment to do so. I find that I have the most chances for this when I am doing things around the house.
Here is a list of some ways to improve the use of your non dominant parts:
Stretching and exploring - at least once a day it is helpful to your health to do a good stretch, during this activity you can and should be exploring the limitations of your joints. Starting at the tip of the fingers on your non-dominant hand explore each joint and section till you get to your shoulder, doing this daily and with each part of your body will, over time, make you more dexterous and agile and give you a much keener awareness of your body.
Eating - It is fun (and entertaining to onlookers) to try eating with the hand you typically leave resting on the table. Next meal you have, put the fork in your weaker hand.
Throwing rocks - If you have space enough to do it is helpful to throw rocks, learning the mechanics of your arm. Take turns throwing with your dominant arm then your non dominant. When I use my right for example, I study the way it moves to generate force, how I move it toward a desired target, how I cradle the weight of the rock, when in the arc I release the rock from my hand, then in slow motion I replicate the mirror of those movements in my left arm. (I still look really silly and have no aim with my left arm, but I am improving)
Showering - If you typically wash with your right hand, try washing your whole body with your left, take your time and learn the physical limitations and range of your left arm.
Dishes - I often take the time to wash my dishes by hand and this is a great chance to practice ambidexterity. I simply put the wash rag in my weaker hand. This helps not only the small motor skills but having to pay attention to actually cleaning the dish helps form the links in your brain, concentrating builds and strengthens neuron bridges to your hand that were not there.
Any form of weight/strength training - While holding anything with weight (books, a child, some dishes, dumbbells, medicine ball etc.) fully extend your non-dominant arm with the object in your hand, do this for as long as you can before your arm gives up.
If you can't do this with objects, all you need is a door frame or wall. Just place your non-dominant hand against the wall and lean into it till all of your weight is upon it, or put your hand on the opposite side of a door frame from your body and lean away, both are examples of using your own weight resistance to build strength
I have been practicing these and other techniques for many years and still my left arm is not as strong as my right, but it is almost as dexterous. In normal every day activities my left arm can keep up and is severely helpful. I have noticed a large increase in my productivity because of my ability to use both of my arms freely.
It takes a bit of work and rewriting your mindset, but the payout is infinite.
So, let me know if any of you are already ambidextrous, what type of activities can you do with both sides?
What type of exercises do you do to strengthen your non-dominant side?
Can you right legibly with doth hands?
until next time: fight against stagnation, adapt or die.
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