Have You Tried Toast Watching?

Yes, that's a picture of my bread toasting. I'm watching my toast. Since the moment I pushed down the lever, I've been watching my bread turn into toast. Granted I did take a moment to capture the picture, but aside from that, I've been watching it. For the most part. Let me be clear - this is a new practice for me. I usually pop the bread in and walk away to "multitask" to get other things done; like an email, a text message, maybe some leftover dishes from the night before. It's not uncommon that by the time I get back to my toast, it's stone cold and as hard as the bread board I'm buttering it on! And then, let's not talk about the mess it makes when consumed, crumbs everywhere. This might explain why my dogs are under my feet in the kitchen every morning!

I was inspired by one of my clients today in a conversation when she mentioned she watches her toast diligently every morning. She doesn't believe in multitasking while her bread is in transition to toast. And while it might seem humorous, I think it's ingenious! It's a perfect example of what it can look like to practice pause and presence or as we often call it, mindfulness. Consider these questions - when you're at the grocery store do you pick a checkout based on the length of the line? If your only option is a "long" line, and let's be real - that's with more than 2 people, what do you do? When you approach an intersection with a red light, do you count the car ahead and switch to the lane with the fewest? When you get on the highway, which lane do you choose? And what do you have to say, out loud alone in your car, to the person sitting in the fast lane doing the speed limit?

In our world where we define success by the break-neck speed at which we do life, the number of tasks we can get done in a day, and the number of things we strain to juggle at once, or multitasking we call it, we’re go - go - go. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s the value of finding and creating opportunities for pause and presence and for being more deliberate with my choices and how I spend my time.

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash

So, back to my Toast Watching. After my client mentioned this, I decided to try it for myself. As soon as I pressed the lever down I thought of a text I still needed to send and I reached for my phone. No! Watch your toast. Then I noticed the dirty dishes by the sink that my husband neglected to put in the empty dishwasher, I could… No! Watch your toast. OMG this could be such a great blog post, I need a picture. Fine, then back to watching your toast. I need to text my client to ask if I can share her idea. Later. Watch your toast! A few more thoughts flew through my brain, enticing me to get busy doing something else instead of waiting and just being with my thoughts. Then my toast popped up and I was ready with the butter and home-made-by-my-mama marmalade. And can I just say quickly - this was the best piece of toast I’ve had in a long time. The butter melted perfectly and there was still some soft bread in the middle - none of this hard cardboard that breaks off as your bite it leaving crumbs all over your face and the floor. What I realized as I finished my perfect piece of toast, was that my experience with Toast Watching was very similar to meditation; except a little easier. When I’ve practiced traditional meditation: sitting quietly and noticing my thoughts, I find that bit where you’re to gently bring your mind back when it drifts off to be almost impossible. My mind is long gone before I clue into the fact that it’s hitched a ride and left. But with Toast Watching, I was able to bring my mind back more quickly because I had something tangible and physical to focus on.

Here’s the thing about changing our behaviour - if we want it to be long lasting we need 2 key elements: First, attached it to an already existing behaviour your engage in, habitually. This will set you up to practice the new behaviour more frequently with the physical reminder (time, space, activity). Second, choose a new behaviour that is laughably small, and by that I mean it’s easier to justify doing than not doing. Perhaps you could make a shift in your red-light waiting behaviour - get in the longer line and use the extra time to pause and notice your surroundings. Choose the longer checkout line and commit to not pulling out your cell phone. Get in the slow lane on the highway and practice positive thoughts towards the person in front of you - if you’re anything like me, I advise building your tolerance up slowly on this one. Start with 30 seconds and then increase your endurance with incremental increases.

Perhaps you’re asking “Really Leona? Why should I do this? How could the benefits possibly outweigh the frustrations?” First off, as you get started the benefits may not outweigh the frustrations, but it will in the long run. Sound, influential, effective decision making comes out of being able to pause, consider, reflect, and notice the details. I challenge you to consider that if you’re not able to do this in your personal life, you’re likely not doing it in your professional life either. Perhaps you’re thinking “I make good decisions that garner good result”, but what if you could make even better decision that led to even better results? The risk of getting used to running around a break neck speed is that we become satisfied with good and even mediocre results. Plenty of organizations and individuals work on this premise, “it’s getting me results so why change what I’m doing”? But I’m venturing to guess that if you’re reading this blog you are the type of person who is interested in amazing results, wildly successful results. And if that’s the case, mindfulness will help you get there. It will increase your awareness, attention to details and your ability to notice things that in the past you have missed. Along with that you’ll begin to experience a calmer state of mind.

So what are you willing to commit to? If it’s not Toast Watching, how about watching your coffee brew in the morning, or the kettle boil - if you have one of those clear glass ones, even better, boiling bubbles are entrancing. What part of your morning routine can you use as a cue to stop, reflect, think or just let your thoughts wander without doing something else?

I’d love to hear how this mindfulness challenge goes for you. Leave us a comment on the article on our Facebook , Instagram or LinkedIn pages.