Mastering multitask requires adroit switching among different mindsets

In the first week of August when I immersed myself into research, I got my passport back from Consulate-General of Brazil in Toronto with my visa to Brazil ready. I didn't give a thought about the Argentina visa until about one week later when it was already too late to apply for it. Many reasons account for the miss of the opportunity, and I think the main reason is that I fail to switch my mindset.

The preparation for Visa application includes filling the forms, booking the ticket and mailing the application package. All of these can be done in half a day if everything is well planed. But I didn't do it because I couldn't switch my thinking to visa application and my feeling to the travel mood. I miss the chance.

Firmly and adroitly switching among different mindsets will allow you to cope with your life more efficiently. Successful switching will make you concentrate on the task on hand. When eating, I need a mind that fully enjoys its smell, its look and its taste. When doing research, I need a mind that is analytical, critical and logical. When dealing with people, I need a mind that is cheerful, emphatic, and willing to seek understanding. The multi-facets of life necessitates a multi-task mind.

Everyone can switch mindset; it is just a matter of time. But swiftly switching is not easy, especially when emotion is involved. Even though reason tells me that it is better to put off the current task and deal with another task, the impulse of finishing the current one makes me reluctant to switch. And that's where I need to practice.

And how to improve? The difficult thing is not to get new task into my mind. It is how to get the old out that is difficult. A buffer time (a minute or two) between two successive tasks to clear the old might help.

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