John Walsh, the art historian and former director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, delivered a commencement address at Wheaton College structured as '8 Things I Wish I Had Been Told At My Commencement.' His second piece of advice — do one thing at a time — was an extended meditation on focus in an age of distraction. Walsh confessed that he had been a lifelong multitasker, running 'several programs at once' in his head long before computers made it fashionable. He described his youthful admiration for Peter Paul Rubens, who famously painted while having Tacitus read aloud, dictating a letter, and conversing with visitors simultaneously. But Walsh's hard-won conclusion was that 'a few geniuses can succeed this way; most of us can't and shouldn't try.' He pointed to psychologists' research on 'flow' experiences — the state of complete absorption that skilled rock climbers, tennis players, and pianists describe as a kind of oneness with their task. These experiences, Walsh said, represent 'a supreme kind of pleasure' that is only available to those who commit fully to one thing at a time.