Last night while leaving the gym I walked past a row of treadmills with a handful of runners.
One of these individuals caught my attention.
It was a woman who was walking on the treadmill at about the same pace that I was walking to the locker room. In addition, she was holding a phone up to her ear and having a loud conversation.
I was tempted to interrupt and let her know that a gentle walk on a treadmill while talking on the phone in no way constitutes exercise. In fact, I think you can burn more calories chewing gum.
We all feel the need to try and do 15 things at once. In fact, most people (at times including me) feel guilty when we are focusing on just 1 task at a time.
Here’s a newsflash – some activities are meant to be done by themselves, without interruptions.
Here’s a handful:
1. Talking on the phone with someone that is important to you.
2. Working on an important project – at home or at work – that requires intellectual concentration.
3. Having a conversation with someone else.
4. Sitting in a meeting.
In case you think I’m nuts ask yourself the following question – “Do you enjoy being on the phone and hearing someone typing on their computer?”
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.