The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better

by Thatcher Wine, Dan Bittner (Read by)

Overview

Return your focus to one familiar task at a time to reclaim your attention, productivity, and happiness.

Neurological research definitively and repeatedly concludes that there is a bottleneck in our cognitive function — when we do more than one thing at a time, we become less efficient and more error‑prone. Our systems get overloaded and we crash. In fact, we are actually wired to monotask—to give dedicated focus to one task at a time.
 
Whether you call it monotasking, mindfulness, being present, or any other name, the goal is the same: Give your focus to one thing at a time and do it with your all. When we do things with our full focus, completely tuning our bodies and our brains in to one activity—like reading a book, listening to someone in a conversation, or paying attention to our surroundings while we go for a walk—amazing things can happen.
 
Drawing on research in psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness, The Twelve Monotasks breaks down twelve everyday activities to strengthen our “monotasking” muscle so that we can rebuild and expand our attention spans. When we focus on what we are doing, where we are and who we are with, we can rediscover our ability to enjoy life, connect with others, and succeed in all that we do. And in the end, it makes us happier, more productive, and more present — in all aspects of our lives. 
  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668603987
Publisher:	Hachette Book Group
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Thatcher Wine is a successful entrepreneur, dedicated father, cancer survivor, and published author. He is the Founder & CEO of Juniper Books, a company based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in custom curated libraries and designing special edition book sets. Juniper Books has a global reach with over 22,000 customers in 57 countries; 73,000 Instagram followers; and an enviable client list of celebrities and business leaders including Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah Winfrey, and Shonda Rhimes.

Thatcher is the co-author of For the Love of Books: Designing and Curating a Home Library, published by Gibbs Smith in September 2019, which has sold 20,000 units in special markets. Thatcher’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, New York Magazine, on CBS Sunday Morning, and numerous other media outlets. Thatcher plans to launch a monotasking-focused podcast in 2020 that will feature interviews with well-known gurus from the worlds of art, literature, business, entertainment, and sports.

Dan Bittner is an actor and voice talent and winner of several AudioFile Earphones Awards for audio narration. He has starred on stage and on the screen, in movies such as Men in Black, Adventureland, and the Producers: The Movie Musical. He has also appeared onstage as Macbeth and Sherlock Holmes in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Table of Contents

Preface 3

Part I Am Introduction to Monotasking

Introduction 9

The Art and Science of Monotasking 15

Part II The Twelve Monotasks

Task 1 Reading 23

Task 2 Walking 43

Task 3 Listening 57

Task 4 Sleeping 77

Task 5 Eating 97

Task 6 Getting There 115

Task 7 Learning 133

Task 8 Teaching 151

Task 9 Playing 165

Task 10 Seeing 179

Task 11 Creating 193

Task 12 Thinking 211

Part III Putting It All Together

Monotasking Our Lives 235

The Mono Future 241

Acknowledgments 245

Chapter Notes 249

Index 259

Editorial Reviews

Relinquishing our engagement with multiple goals and dedicating our attention to a specific task rewards us with increased productivity and a markedly reduced sense of stress. By enhancing our monotasking skills we can more deeply experience and benefit from the most fundamental activities of our lives. Thatcher Wine gifts us with the tools to rein in our distractibility, allowing us to more richly participate in all that we do.”—David Perlmutter, MD, author of Grain Brain, and Brain Wash

“The Twelve Monotasks shows how we're not fully living up to our potential when we multitask and offers practical steps for what we can do about it. Offering key learnings around important daily activities including sleeping, eating, and walking, Thatcher Wine explains the deep and profound need for monotasking and how mastering it can lead to a more present, healthier, and happier you.”—Frank Lipman, MD, author of Better Sleep, Better You

“Captivating, informative, and beautifully written, The Twelve Monotasks is a potential game changer for how we can give more of our attention to the things that really do matter. Thatcher’s entrepreneurial and personal experience makes him the perfect guide to monotasking. It’s a book worth your time.”—Nate Berkus, author of The Things That Matter

From the Publisher