I had to quit multi-tasking. The final straw was the night I had to stop myself from spinning — literally.

I was making chili, watching my favorite sitcom, answering emails, AND doing laundry. It’s a wonder I didn’t end up with socks in my chili, screaming ”Hey Siri!” at my TV and wondering why it didn’t respond.

I gripped the counter tightly, took a deep breath, and reread the recipe out loud three times to reconnect with my body and refocus.

How about you? Do you ever find yourself or your kids spinning out of control from a multi-tasking frenzy?

My clients do. It’s hard for them to sustain attention on one activity, let alone complete it. This revs up stress and causes a perpetual state of frustration. That’s no way to live!

The good news is that anyone can quit multi-tasking and shift into sustained attention. It simply takes practice focusing on a single task. Even better news — a little more focus goes a long way.

Here are some tips and tricks to set you, or your kids, up for success:

• Resist the urge to start more than one task simultaneously. Even if you’re waiting for a file to load, a paper to print, or you’re put on hold (again!). Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.
• In a single task, use the small moments between steps to pause, breathe deeply, and maybe take a sip of water. Mindfulness can calm your anxiety and increase focus.
• Acknowledge and reward the feat of completing tasks you don’t like.
• Time yourself doing activities you hate. They’re probably faster than you think, and that knowledge will help you break through resistance.

Good luck!