Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Confessions of a Multitasker

July 20,2010

When I read this Blog (Simply Stated: Real Simple; See below) on multitasking, I laughed to myself because I knew exactly what the author is "confessing". As females, we have been blessed with the gift to multitask, and it makes life much more productive for us.

We can curl our hair, pour a cup of coffee, pay the cable bill online and lay out the frozen chicken for dinner, all while listening to the news on TV for traffic updates and making a mental TO DO list for work and rushing out the door to make it in TIME for work! Yes, pat yourself on the back; we are amazing creatures who can do it all! And most of the time we can, except when does multi-tasking too much interferes with quality of relationships, performance and peace of mind.

I often have to remind myself to slow down and relax. Take one project on at a time, listen fully to co-workers and spend quality time with loved ones.

Enjoy ~ Rachel Bartz (Programs and Events Manager: Gwinnett Chamber)


---One of my biggest gripes these days—and I know I'm not alone—is when other people multitask. Whether it's mid-conversation, and I can hear them typing in the background, or mid-meal, and they're checking their Blackberries, I feel it's rude and ruins the quality of time we're spending together. But, I'm ashamed to admit that I might be guilty of a slightly different kind of multitasking

When I have people over to my home, whether it's for a brunch or a dinner, I always hop up to clear the plates when the meal is done. Inevitably, some other kind soul will take that as her cue to help, to which I always shriek, "Sit down, I'm just getting these out of the way." Because, in fact, I really don't want anyone to help me clean up; I'd rather my guests stay at the table and keep enjoying the conversation.

But then, I'll admit, I take it one step further: I start to wash the dirty pots and load the dishwasher. I should mention that my kitchen is an open one, so I can still hear the conversation going on at the dining room table (or even the living room, if people have migrated there). But still, the guests always yell, "Julie, sit down! Leave that for later."

I understand that these cries of protests stem mostly from their desire to relieve me of clean-up duty. But ironically, it actually helps me relax, knowing that I've gotten a jump-start on the disaster area that is my kitchen. And as multitasking sins go, this one seems like a victimless crime! However, I'm aware it might actually be rude for me to leave the party, and make others feel bad about having fun while I'm doing battle with a greasy pan in the kitchen.

So: Do I need to leave the clean-up for later and rejoin the party? Or is it okay to start scrubbing while the other guests mingle?



Simply Stated: Real Simple Blog

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2010/06/multitasking-throughout-the-day.html

Work & Life
Posted on Jun 17, 2010 11:29:16 AM By JulieRottenberg