Return(or Not) to Multitasking

  Before my little trip to babysit the Grands and recharge in the mountains I had started talking about multitasking.

 Sometimes multitasking is a good thing. For instance, this morning I took a walk outside. Since I went to a mailbox about a mile away I got my aerobic exercise, exercised my dog, returned my NetFlix DVD and listened to relaxing music on my MP3 player all at the same time.

 But multitasking has a down side. As it turns out, multitasking lowers our efficiency while we are doing it. That is OK if the tasks we are doing don’t require precision or careful thought, but sometimes we need to decide if speed or efficiency matters most. 

 And then there is the fact that sometimes people get offended when we multitask. Like the time I was unloading my dishwasher while talking to my mother on the phone. When she heard the silverware clanking she said “I want you to give me your full attention when I’m talking to you, young lady!” (The fact that she was ninety years old and I was in my fifties at the time added a bit of humor to the situation.)

 So, while there are times when multitasking helps (like listening to audiobooks while folding laundry or any other boring repetitive task that takes no concentration), there are other times when it distracts, offends and eats up way to much mental energy. 

 Sometimes I need to nurture me by giving myself permission to do only one thing at a time, even if it means I get less done in a day.