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. Which revs up stress and causes a perpetual state of frustration. That’s no way to live!

The good news is 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. 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 probabl y faster than you think, and that knowledge will help you break through resistance.

Good luck!