The truth about multi-tasking…
The other day Mike discussed the problem of sharing a blog and how on occasion one of us may unknowingly and unintentionally touch on a topic remarkably similar to something a fellow writer had been planning to post. I suppose within this group of writers/boaters, we find ourselves faced with similar tasks and challenges in our day to day lives. But there's the flip side of this, and one of the advantages to a group like us sharing a blog: the ability to consider a situation from multiple viewpoints.
My daughter often refers to me as 'Goldfish', which is a playful jab at my abysmally short attention span and questionable memory. Playful, but completely accurate. My brain is constantly on the go, often awash in words and ideas, but rarely does it pause to take stock of things at hand. As a result I'm frequently quite forgetful and easily distracted. Perhaps it's a result of an overactive imagination, maybe it's the lingering effects of a nasty head injury or a combination of the two, but either way focus and recall are not my strong points. That's part of why I love to write… once things are written they can't be forgotten. Ideas become permanent and it clears my head, leaving space for fresh thoughts to occupy. And I write lists - lists of to-do's, lists of ideas, lists of lists. Without these lists, I'd get little done. I've given up even trying to multi-task – I focus on a single task, complete it, and only then do I move on to the next. Goldfish aren't known for their multi-tasking skills.
There was a time I tried to find a better system. I had much to do, and surely there had to be some way to better utilize my time. But the thing is, multi-tasking is a myth. Just watch anyone walking with a cell phone to their ear. They drift along at half-speed, weaving slightly, occasionally bumping into obstacles, and they're not getting anything done efficiently. Studies have proven that when people multi-task, they aren't truly doing multiple tasks simultaneously – they're rapidly switching between various tasks at the same time, never truly focusing on a single purpose – and as a result they're not doing any single task well. These days, with all our fancy gadgets and high-tech devices we're all supposed to believe we can do it all, and we can do it faster and better. Everything is multi-this and high-speed that, but the bottom line is if you want to do something right, sometimes you just have to slow down, take a breath, and focus. Especially when you're working with a sewing machine or trying to get a boat prepped for that cruise. There will be time to write once things are done.
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