One task at a time..

I’m cooking on the stovetop but what I want to do

Is maximize this time and read a book too

So while stirring the pot intermittently

I pick up a book trying to read simultaneously

My attention is divided, the pages lightly stained

With turmeric, I am not sure how much I have gained

By trying to multitask but the value of productivity

Is so thoroughly ingrained in me

That it feels like I am being lazy if I just stand and wait

For my dish to cook, being idle I’ve learnt to hate

If it’s not a book, then I try to listen to a podcast

But in doing two things, my attention span on either one does not last

*

The irony of trying to multitask is that I am still not as productive

As I would like to be, with a perpetual feeling of dissatisfaction I live..

*

Today I’m cooking, and I decide not to try

To multitask, I watch the onions sizzle and fry

I watch the food brown, roast, caramelize

I cook for the right duration (I’ve come to realize

That my food was either under or overcooked

When I was trying to multitask, the details I had overlooked)

Cooking felt relaxing, much to my surprise

It was an immersive experience, I realized

And due to misplaced priorities I had so far been deprived

Of the many benefits that cooking food could provide

*

Anything worth doing should be done with undivided attention

To expand this philosophy to other tasks is now my intention