I want to continue the topic from my previous blog post about forcing creativity. I think it’s safe to say that most genuine bursts of creativity come from authentic passion in a certain field. It cannot be based on money, pressure, or outside motives, but instead the inner desire to create. There is another huge enemy of creativity, and perhaps it is why many people don’t feel creative these days.
This invisible but real monster is called “multitasking.”
According to Psychology Today, “A recent study found that people who were frequent media multitaskers had reductions in their brains’ grey matter—specifically, in areas related to cognitive control and the regulation of motivation and emotion.”
There are some other factors we should consider as well:
- Multitasking is innately less efficient. When we increase multitasking, it decreases our attention spans. One source says that “social media use had caused the average human attention span to drop from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2013.” Obviously, that number would be even lower now in 2022.
- Multitasking is bent on distracting our attention for something more interesting. Obviously, we’d rather do things that feel faster or more gratifying, but unfortunately doing more than one thing at once isn’t a viable solution.
- Multitasking can decrease with small lifestyle changes all around. Some people do a social media fast for a time and track their results. One young lady reported having higher quality relationships and connections with other people because social media focuses more on accomplishments than emotions and struggles that connect others together. Another method to decrease multitasking includes using a calendar or other method to stay organized and time conscious. Others try more balanced options between breaks and work. There are also many focus apps, too.
I consistently keep my phone on silent so no notifications or sounds distract me when I’m studying. Still, I’d like to try a phone fast, or at least not have it with me all the time. The peace of not thinking about what could have happened in the past 5 minutes decreases stress.
One of my favorite places to work is the library in the early morning. It’s silent and peaceful and helps me clear my head before starting work. Focusing on one moment at a time prevents the overwhelming emotions and feelings of overload.
