Don't Move

My husband happened to be working from home that day.  Our offices are on opposite sides of the house, but I can see him at his desk from my desk.  We were both working away on our special projects.  Two hours went by.  During those two hours he never moved from his chair.  I was amazed because during that same time I am sure I was up and down at least ten times or more.  That is the problem when working from home for me.  I keep thinking about all of the little things that need to be done: the laundry needs to be put in the dryer; the dishwasher needs to be emptied; the floor needs to be mopped; the bills need to be paid; the trash needs to be taken out; the leaves need to be scooped out of the pool.  And the list goes on.  Women multi-task and always think about others and what needs to be done. I don't have the focus problem when I move my office to a Wi-Fi enabled restaurant. There aren't any dishes or laundry there for me to take care of.  Men seem to be able to focus on one thing and forget about everything else. That's why they can walk through the house and not see the shoes left on the floor or the folded laundry on the couch that needs to be put away.  That is my theory - and the theory of quite a few relationship professionals. 

SO - I set my timer and start my first Pomodoro (the Pomodoro Technique is a work process that involves breaking your projects into 25 minute time intervals with 5 minute breaks - chekc www.pomodorotechnique.com for more information), forgetting all about the  little house projects I could take care of. I am going to stay in my chair longer than my husband does this time. I love a challenge. 

When I start my yoga classes we are sitting cross-legged on the floor on our mats.  We spend a few minutes focusing on a breathing exercise with our hands resting on our knees or in our laps. The goal is to stay still and focused on the breath.  I usually keep my eyes open to check for people entering class late that might need a mat or other help.  As I look around the room, I see people in various states of stillness. Some never even bat an eyelash. Others are looking around, checking their cell phone to make sure it is off, changing their position frequently, and other non-focused activities.  I realize I need to encourage and remind them next time we start - to try to stay still. 

Set the timer - GO! - see how long you can stay still.