The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better
- Downloads：8194
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-31 06:21:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Thatcher Wine
- ISBN：0316705543
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Reclaim your attention， productivity， and happiness with this “captivating， informative and beautifully written” book by learning how to keep your focus on one familiar task at a time （Nate Berkus）。
Modern life is full of to-do lists， all-consuming technology and the constant pressure to be doing and striving for more。 What if you could train your brain to focus on one thing at a time？ What if the secret to better productivity involved doing less， not more？
Drawing on research in psychology， neuroscience， and mindfulness， The Twelve Monotasks provides a clear and accessible plan for life in the twenty-first century。 Practice resisting distractions and building focus by doing the things you already do—like reading， sleeping， eating， and listening—with renewed attention。 For example， the next time you go for a walk， don’t try to run an errand or squeeze in a phone call， but instead， notice the cool breeze on your face and the plants and birds that may cross your path。 Immerse yourself in the activity and let time melt away， even if you’re only actually out for 20 minutes。 Notice how much clearer your head feels when you return home。 This is the magic of monotasking。 With monotasking you will:
Become more productive
Produce higher quality work
Reduce stress
And increase happiness。
Thatcher Wine’s The Twelve Monotasks will help you do one thing at a time， and do it well， so you can enjoy all of your life！
Modern life is full of to-do lists， all-consuming technology and the constant pressure to be doing and striving for more。 What if you could train your brain to focus on one thing at a time？ What if the secret to better productivity involved doing less， not more？
Drawing on research in psychology， neuroscience， and mindfulness， The Twelve Monotasks provides a clear and accessible plan for life in the twenty-first century。 Practice resisting distractions and building focus by doing the things you already do—like reading， sleeping， eating， and listening—with renewed attention。 For example， the next time you go for a walk， don’t try to run an errand or squeeze in a phone call， but instead， notice the cool breeze on your face and the plants and birds that may cross your path。 Immerse yourself in the activity and let time melt away， even if you’re only actually out for 20 minutes。 Notice how much clearer your head feels when you return home。 This is the magic of monotasking。 With monotasking you will:
Become more productive
Produce higher quality work
Reduce stress
And increase happiness。
Thatcher Wine’s The Twelve Monotasks will help you do one thing at a time， and do it well， so you can enjoy all of your life！
Reviews
Joan Hall
，
"The Twelve Monotasks" is a pleasure to read and very timely in this era of multitasking （or trying to do that， mainly unsuccessfully）。 The activity of "Reading" offers the template for monotasking （you have to give it your complete attention）， but Thatcher Wine cover a wide range of other monotasks from "eating" and "sleeping" to "playing" and "creating。" The chapter on "Listening" has particularly helpful tips for concentrating on what the other person is saying; by doing so， you enhance your "The Twelve Monotasks" is a pleasure to read and very timely in this era of multitasking （or trying to do that， mainly unsuccessfully）。 The activity of "Reading" offers the template for monotasking （you have to give it your complete attention）， but Thatcher Wine cover a wide range of other monotasks from "eating" and "sleeping" to "playing" and "creating。" The chapter on "Listening" has particularly helpful tips for concentrating on what the other person is saying; by doing so， you enhance your conversation and communication skills。 The message in the book （with guidance for the reader） comes through clearly and strongly: focus on doing one thing at a time and you can do it well！ This is a book from which we can all profit。 。。。more
Gladys
，
Reading this book reminded me of how many mistakes I make when I rush through things or try to do too much at once。 It outlined another way to approach my daily life and everything I want to accomplish and inspired me to do things differently。
Caitlin
，
I just finished reading this monotasking book and I feel like its effects are going to stay with me forever。 I own my company with clients around the world in every time zone， and am always "on"。 I always secretly prided myself on incessant multi-tasking， not attributing it to the inevitable （even temporary） burnout。 This book is awesome - it's a fast read that quickly explains the benefits of monotasking conceptually - and then moves on to offer really manageable steps to show you how to focus I just finished reading this monotasking book and I feel like its effects are going to stay with me forever。 I own my company with clients around the world in every time zone， and am always "on"。 I always secretly prided myself on incessant multi-tasking， not attributing it to the inevitable （even temporary） burnout。 This book is awesome - it's a fast read that quickly explains the benefits of monotasking conceptually - and then moves on to offer really manageable steps to show you how to focus on one thing at a time。 I'm not a fan of overwhelming wellness programs that are unrealistic in ask。 This book's advice is so perfectly bite-sized - you don't feel like you're immediately failing。 It's just the opposite - you just focus on making one tiny change at a time， and it made me feel great about myself。 Can't wait to keep it going。 Highly recommend for busy， productivity-obsessed people - it's already been a game changer for me。 。。。more
Hazel Woods
，
After spending decades as a "multi-tasker，" this book has encouraged me to mono task - with ease， efficiency， calm， and achievement。 Wow。 Loving all of the advice and its thoroughness， guidance， and research-backed and practical methods。 As a spiritual life coach， I am looking forward to incorporating this into how I guide clients to reach their goals， with more centeredness and success！ After spending decades as a "multi-tasker，" this book has encouraged me to mono task - with ease， efficiency， calm， and achievement。 Wow。 Loving all of the advice and its thoroughness， guidance， and research-backed and practical methods。 As a spiritual life coach， I am looking forward to incorporating this into how I guide clients to reach their goals， with more centeredness and success！ 。。。more
Elizabeth Lane
，
If you start the new year with any book， this is the one！ Thatcher Wine has written a true gem， one to be passed along to absolutely everyone， regardless of age。 Wine's message is profound， made the more so through its simplicity！ This book is incredibly grounding and provides avenues for each of us to quiet the chaos， deepen connections with loved ones and， most importantly， find joy in simply doing one task at a time。 If you start the new year with any book， this is the one！ Thatcher Wine has written a true gem， one to be passed along to absolutely everyone， regardless of age。 Wine's message is profound， made the more so through its simplicity！ This book is incredibly grounding and provides avenues for each of us to quiet the chaos， deepen connections with loved ones and， most importantly， find joy in simply doing one task at a time。 。。。more
CJ Bartlett
，
This book was an absolute game changer for me。 As an entrepreneur， mom of kids with special needs and someone always seeking nuggets of truth and light in this world， this book floored me with its practical magic。 It gave me easily accessible everyday monotasking skills that strengthened my ability to focus， create and grow in all areas of my life。 Highly recommend！
Sandra Greenway
，
In a world where there are a million things vying for your attention， it's refreshing to read a book that encourages putting your phone down， reading to your children and focusing your mind on every day activities that calm your spirit and sharpen your mind。 In a world where there are a million things vying for your attention， it's refreshing to read a book that encourages putting your phone down， reading to your children and focusing your mind on every day activities that calm your spirit and sharpen your mind。 。。。more
Ravi Saroj （Mindsetreading）
，
For the past few days， I was reading this new book called "The Twelve Monotasks" which focuses on the twelve tasks that you should do every day to build your monotask muscles。🧠The Monotask is simply to perform one activity at a time so that you can do it effectively with your full attention。 💪Each of the monotask in this book is about bringing your attention to one thing at a time， then carrying that ability to focus on other activities and throughout your life。 🔥The book teaches you how to perf For the past few days， I was reading this new book called "The Twelve Monotasks" which focuses on the twelve tasks that you should do every day to build your monotask muscles。🧠The Monotask is simply to perform one activity at a time so that you can do it effectively with your full attention。 💪Each of the monotask in this book is about bringing your attention to one thing at a time， then carrying that ability to focus on other activities and throughout your life。 🔥The book teaches you how to perform each of these monotasking step by step so that you can get better at it doing every day。The key to each of the Monotasks is to do the task and nothing else。 🙂Thatcher Wine has written an incredible book on how to do our everyday tasks more effectively with our full intention。 This book helped me to avoid multitasking and do "Monotasking" which I'll be using in my everyday activity。 。。。more
Hobart
，
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S THE TWELVE MONOTASKS ABOUT？We live in a society that celebrates the multitaskers， those who seemingly do a half-dozen things at once—while posting about it on Twitter/Instagram/etc。 We feel inadequate if we're not at that level—and if we are， we should be pushing for more。 Thatcher Wine wants to call us back—at least some of the time， not necessarily all the time--to a more straightforward， more focused （remember focus？） way of life This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S THE TWELVE MONOTASKS ABOUT？We live in a society that celebrates the multitaskers， those who seemingly do a half-dozen things at once—while posting about it on Twitter/Instagram/etc。 We feel inadequate if we're not at that level—and if we are， we should be pushing for more。 Thatcher Wine wants to call us back—at least some of the time， not necessarily all the time--to a more straightforward， more focused （remember focus？） way of life and work。 Arguably， this would be a healthier and less stressed way of life as well。Using research from Neuroscience， Psychology， and insights from mindfulness practices， Wine outlines Twelve things to focus on—monotasks—Reading， Walking， Listening， Slppeing， Eating， Getting THere， Learning， Teaching， Playing， Seeing， Creating， and Thinking。 After making his case of "The Art and Science of Monotasking，" Wine spends one chapter on each monotask， describing and defining it， showing its benefits， and giving some exercises to help the reader start practicing the task。 He then gives a couple of wrap-up chapters—encouragements to practice these （and other monotasks） and reminders of the benefits。A FEW HIGHLIGHTS I really like this idea—I know I need to focus more and this approach seems like a good way to build that ability。Some of the chapters seemed more attractive to me， as well as easier to fit into at least my life—the Walking， Eating， Seeing， and Playing chapters really stood out。 Oh， and， obviously， the Reading chapter—that's a given， right？ It was a great way to start that part of the book。 I'm not saying I thought the others were a waste of time or anything， but I read these chapters and immediately identified how I could easily make that part of my life and what the benefits would be。 I bet most readers will have a few chapters like that， too—ones that jump out at them as being good fits—their lists will vary from mine， but they'll have theirs。The chapters laying out the individual monotasks are arranged the same—by the third you know where you're going to find what—the explanations， the benefits， the challenges， the practical exercises。 It's a firm outline and easy to use。Overall， for me， one of the biggest selling points of the book is that it provides a different vocabulary for what's likely a good idea。 I've read a few books and taken a few classes on dealing with stress， emotional wellness， etc。 lately—one recurring idea was mindfulness， being present， and so on。 There was something about the language that bothered me。 I liked the concepts， but the pseudo-spirituality/pseudo-psychological terms it was couched it didn't sit right with me。 I always felt like I was being silly in not being comfortable with them， but it was a real stumbling block for me。 Now， Wine's monotasking isn't the same idea—but they're compatible， really compatible。 But his approach， his terminology comes without the touchy-feely connotation—making it more palatable to many readers （I can't imagine I'm the only one）。A FEW PROBLEMS While there were a few chapters that jumped out at me as being easily useful and adopted， there were a few that didn't seem that easy to work into my life—and I'm not sure that Wine convinced me would be that helpful for me: Travel， Thinking， and Teaching。 It's possible—maybe even likely—that once I do the exercises， I'll change my mind。For some of the monotasks （and those three are good examples， again， your results may vary）， I really had to wonder how universally adoptable they'd be。 For example—I commute alone， in the dark （one way）—I can't do a lot of what he suggests in the Travel chapter。 Some of the others seem more geared toward people like Wine—the self-employed， business owners， or managerial types—all with a degree of affluence。 People who are at the low end of the corporate ladder， don't have the freedom or ability to do a lot of this。 It doesn't take down the whole system， but it's a chink in the armor。On the more nitty-gritty end of things， there's a lack of variety in personal anecdotes that Wine uses。 There are three formative events in his life that he uses as the basis for observation， for personal examples， etc。 Were I him， I'd probably base most things I say off of those same events/experiences。 It just makes the reading seem repetitive。 This isn't an attack or a problem with the system he's proposing， it just makes the reading a bit duller。SO， WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE TWELVE MONOTASKS？ As always， I'm trying not to evaluate the arguments or thesis—my goal is to talk about the reading experience。 That said， if I was going to evaluate Wine's arguments and proposed methods—it'd be a pretty positive assessment。 This is definitely the kind of book I'm likely to return to， but more on that in a minute。The problem with evaluating the reading experience is that I didn't read it the way Wine intended。 Once you get to Part II， "The Twelve Monotaks，" the reader is supposed to take them one chapter at a time。 Read about the task， take in the guidance and practice it before moving on to the next。 I didn't have that kind of time between the publicist and today （even if I waited until release day， I wouldn't have）。 But I can imagine how that would work—and it'd be better than plowing through it as I did。But even plowing through without the breaks take each in turn with some practice， I got a pretty good idea of how it should work。 It seems like a solid approach， one that's not overwhelming either—rather than trying to work in 12 or so new disciplines into your life， go for one。 And then another。 It's the camel nose in the tent approach。 I can see that when I return to this in the coming months， slowly bringing in each task to my life is going to work much better than diving in and trying to add all twelve at once。A lofty goal—helping people learn/relearn/recapture the ability to focus in a world full of distraction—and a common-sense approach to pursue it。 It's the makings of a good read—whether the method is successful or not is probably up to the reader。 But Wine gives the tools in an attractive， easy-to-read manner。Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Little， Brown & Co。 via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this。 。。。more
Heather Neyer
，
In these days of near constant tech-heavy multi-tasking， I found this concept refreshing。 It was harder to do than I expected in the beginning but the rules are incredibly simple， easy to follow， and once practiced， it was clear that it was something my brain needed - especially the walking。 Looking forward to more practice in the new year！
Robert R
，
I was privy to a review copy of this book。 The concepts the author puts forth seem simple - and they are - but that's the beauty of it。 His logic and clear writing style is refreshingly accessible and he presents in such way that it's like having a conversation with a friend。 I can see how paying attention to the tasks and exercises in this book can really help with one's focus and attention to detail。 And， unlike the exercises espoused in many self help books and theories out there， monotasking I was privy to a review copy of this book。 The concepts the author puts forth seem simple - and they are - but that's the beauty of it。 His logic and clear writing style is refreshingly accessible and he presents in such way that it's like having a conversation with a friend。 I can see how paying attention to the tasks and exercises in this book can really help with one's focus and attention to detail。 And， unlike the exercises espoused in many self help books and theories out there， monotasking is a way of looking at things and activities that can be easily adapted by anyone， no matter how busy， frazzled or consumed you may feel。 It's a cumulative growth of abilities， and doesn't require an all or nothing commitment。 This is a game changer。 。。。more
Palmer Grace
，