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CHATTERTREE FROM PAGE 12

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Chattertree.com founder Ryan Beale, 31.

6718b Orchard Lake Rd West Bloomfield :: 248.626.3411

: next to baby & me :

we had the weight of the world on our
shoulders."
Beset by grief, Beale took that pain and
channeled it into his social.network with
the help of business partner Todd Brook of
Envision IT Media. The final product: Chat-
tertree.com , a social networking commu-
nity just for families, where they can chat,
send messages, video conference and share
photos.
"My dream had always been to write
something socially positive that could make
a difference on a global scale. Chattertree
is that book that I always envisioned," Beale
said."After my brother passed away, I real-
ized that this was not only something I was
passionate about, it was a mission."
Beale's partner said he was first drawn
to the idea of Chattertree after hearing
Beale describe what family meant to him. "I
saw the passion he had for his own family
and the need to provide tools that assist in
healthy, safe communications," Brook said.
"Being a family man myself, I was inter-

ested in finding a place where I could share
stories, photos of my son and personal
details without concern of the world seeing
[them]."
After raising additional capital, Beale and
Brook launched a full-featured version of
Chattertree.com in May 2010. Already, the
site has thousands of users in more than
100 countries.
Jason Finn, a Chattertree customer from
Chicago, uses the site to keep his far-flung
family close. To him, privacy is the main
draw.
"I don't like putting photos of my son on
Facebook where anyone can find them,"
said Finn, who also uses the site's video chat
feature to stay close to family members
in Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania and
Atlanta.
Beale said that Chattertree has provided
his life with the balance he always wanted.
"Having grown up in a real-estate family, I'll
always have my foot in the game;' he said.
And the difference Chattertree.com has
made in his own life by allowing he and
his parents to stay close — and deal with
the aftermath of his brother's death — has
further strengthened his ties to them and
his hometown, he said.
Beale also revealed, via e-mail, that
he is planning on shuttering his Chicago
brokerage firm to return home this spring,
bringing Chattertree.com's operations with
him and continuing to grow the business in
Detroit.
"I am optimistic that Chattertree will have
the potential to grow deep roots in Detroit
that will extend throughout the country,
if not world;' he said. "At this point, I'm just
eager to get back home and hit the ground
running." pi-

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Failures of the Multi-tasking Mystique

Is the frenetic pace of life contributing to
declining rates of productivity?

By Chaya Selesny

ere's a scenario: You're driving your
children to school, drinking your first
cup of coffee (that you grabbed on
the way out) and checking your Black-
Berry (maybe even texting at red lights)
— all while trying to talk to the kids, ad-
just the radio and break up fights in the
backseat. Is this sounding familiar yet?
Admittedly, even while writing this
column my mind wanders to the busy
day ahead: How will I get my son to his
basketball game, my daughter to her
concert and somehow get snacks and
dinner figured out along the way?
I take solace (as small as it is) in that,
once we get home that evening, the rou-
tine of homework and bedtime begins.
Of course, after the kids are safely tucked
into bed, my daily chores await: laundry,
dishes, lunches to be packed and calls
and e-mails to be returned.
Multi-tasking, for most of us, has
become a way of life. It may seem like
you are being more productive, but in
fact it often leads to higher stress levels
and a depletion of energy. Naturally,
some stress is normal, but if it becomes
too extreme, or lasts too long, stress can
increase the risk of diseases like depres-
sion, heart disease and a variety of other
problems.
"You aren't going to perform as well
when you're doing multiple things as you
would if you were focused on one thing,"
says Russell Poldrack, Ph.D., a professor
of psychology and neurobiology at the
University of Texas.
One multi-tasking foray nearly all of us
engage in, and may not even consider
multi-tasking, is talking on a cell phone
or — even more dangerous — texting
while driving. According to the National
Safety Council, there are 1.4 million car
accidents caused by cell phone users
annually.
Poldrack says that potential bodily
harm is not the only negative that results
from multi-tasking. He reports, based on
extensive research, that multi-taskers are

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usually the least productive group, make
more mistakes and have a harder time
remembering things.
Psychiatrists Edward Hallowell and
John Ratey, both of Harvard, say that
multi-tasking can lead to "pseudo-Atten-
tion Deficit Disorder," where we are al-
ways seeking new information but have
difficulty concentrating on its content.
When was the last time you were
completely task-oriented, lost in the
moment and entirely focused on a single
task? This present-moment awareness,
also referred to as "mindfulness;' can only
be developed when we are not multi-
tasking.
Most important, mindfulness is the
practice of not missing out on your life
because you were too frazzled and frag-
mented to really notice. While we are so
busy, we tend to miss out on the special
moments that happen each day — and
our relationships suffer.
Start small.Try some simple, at-home
exercises to practice your mindfulness
by focusing on your senses. At this very
moment, what do you see, smell, hear,
feel and taste?
Move beyond momentary remedies
and go try yoga or meditation. Only
mindless tasks should be multi-tasked.
Decide who and what deserve your full
attention and then give it. RT

CHAYA SELESNY, LMSW, ACSW, is a therapist in

private practice in Southfield. She can be contacted at

chayamsw@att.net.

www.redthreadnnagazine.com