Slow down; you move too fast

Three. That's how many sources of entertainment we typically have at the dinner table. Each other, the iPad, and the food itself. (Yes, ever since I observed our new baby boy's steady focus whenever he drinks his milk I'm classing eating as a form of entertainment.)

Now granted, aforementioned infant is barely two months old and so can only pay attention to one thing at a time, but it got me thinking: why do we (non-infants) seek out several sources of distraction at the same time? After all, it's well-known that multi-tasking isn't truly doing several things simultaneously but is in fact the frequent chopping and changing of our attention from one thing to another, lingering just long enough on each one to ensure we can afford to drop out again. So why do we cause ourselves the bother?

And it's not just a hassle for the multi-tasker: I'd go so far as to say it's sometimes downright offensive to the initial source. Sure, if the worst that can happen is that the radio feels left out while we read the newspaper then of course there is no cause for concern, but my true issue is when people - real life, 3D people - become just another channel we can flick past for a moment as we rely on the (shaky) belief that we can simply press the trusty "Back" button when we're ready to re-engage. I'm sure we all think we're never guilty of this, but consider this scenario: you're out with a friend - let's call him Neil. You and Neil are in the middle of an interesting conversation, and your phone rings. It's Dom - another friend - and you've no reason to think it's urgent. Do you answer it? I bet you do (and I do too). But if Dom were instead to approach you on the street and deliberately interrupt your conversation, you would (I hope) light-heartedly put him in his place and ask him to hang on a minute while you finish the sentence you were partway through to Neil. 

Or another one: you are sitting chatting with a group of friends, and the conversation is flowing. Your phone beeps with a text message. Do you attend to it immediately? Would you do the same if that friend had appeared and called your name? Or my personal favourite: would you start talking to the person on your left, or perhaps actively listening in to what she was saying, whilst in the middle of a chat with the person to your right - the physical equivalent of crafting a text message or checking email respectively while you're in a conversational situation?

I've been guilty of it. But having been on the receiving end and realising just how rubbish it can make one feel (I'm clearly not interesting enough / my friend doesn't care about what I have to say / this person is just killing time with me), this year I'm vowing to do my best not to dilute my focus on the people right in front of me. Friends, despite the internet getting faster please bear with me if I'm a bit slower at electronic communications from now on. The real world is going to start getting my full attention - the digital one can wait.