Slow Multi-tasking
We often think of the Renaissance as an art movement - a time of stunning paintings, sculptures, and masterpieces. But it was so much more than that. It was a profound awakening of human curiosity, creativity, and interdisciplinary thinking.
A recent visit to a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in Valencia left me inspired (and extremely humbled!) by his boundless curiosity. Da Vinci didn’t see art and science as separate – he was a painter, inventor, scientist, anatomist and musician. He applied his attention across so many fields, seeing everything as connected.
This reminded me of a TED talk by economist Tim Harford on something called “slow multi-tasking.” Unlike frantic task-juggling, slow multi-tasking is a spacious, conscious way of working on multiple creative projects over time.
Harford explains that switching between tasks allows our subconscious to keep processing one idea while we actively engage with another, often leading to unexpected breakthroughs when we return.
It’s a practice used by great minds like Darwin, Einstein, Faraday - and da Vinci himself.
This idea also connects with Steven Johnson’s concept of the “adjacent possible” from 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮:
Innovation thrives at the intersection of seemingly unrelated fields.
By engaging in diverse and seemingly unrelated pursuits—whether it’s gardening, playing an instrument, trying out a new recipe, or tackling DIY projects - we create opportunities for ideas to collide and combine in novel ways.
"Learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else."
- Leonardo da Vinci
𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦: 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺
