I chucked the Chuckit!.

(For those not familiar, this is a dog ball throwing device.)

Multitasking.

Some people rave that they are masters at it.

Some feel overwhelmed trying to do it.

Did you know we are not made for, nor are we actually– multitasking?

Neuroscience shows that when we try to multitask, our brain is actually rapidly switching back and forth between tasks, which takes a lot of resources and energy.

In this fast-paced, more information than you can digest coming at you every second, so many to-do’s to get done, world– it can be easy to try and juggle everything.

That’s what happened. I was attempting to multitask.

The first thing I was doing, was weeding a very over-grown garden (that’s another story!!).

The second, my mind was going over many things.

Third, my dog really wanted me to play fetch since I was outside.

I grabbed weeds, and tossed them into the deep valley behind the garden at the end of our property.

Chloe, our pup, would bring me the ball, and toss it into the garden to get my attention.

When one of these tosses came, I tried to multi-task all three tasks.

Weeds in one hand, mind full of thoughts, and picking up the Chuckit! in the other hand to toss the ball.

After the chuck, I transferred the weeds to my Chuckit! hand, with a mind so full that it already forgot the Chuckit! was there… and then… I chucked it!

The weeds… the Chuckit!.. all of it over the edge down the deep valley of never never land.

A big lesson in the value of presence, no matter what you are doing.

We now have a new Chuckit!. And I am very present when I use it to chuck! And I check in with my presence way more often.

It is a mindfulness practice to be mindful. It helps to keep you from being mind-full and chucking Chuckits!

One task at a time. Full presence and focus. More gets accomplished this way. And less gets lost.

How about you? Do you have a "Chuckit!" story? A time when you were reminded the importance of presence? Or did this message inspire you to check-in more? Comment below and let me know! I’d love to hear.

Wishing you a fully present day!