AUTO PILOT
And Other Multitasking Mistakes
Have you ever driven home, pulled into the driveway, and wondered, “How did I get here?”
For the merest moment, you wonder if you blew through any red lights or stop signs. You really don’t remember your drive home at all.
That would be me.
For years, I have prided myself on being a successful multitasker. I would plan to make my phone calls while I was driving. It was on one of my five-call days that I arrived home with absolutely no recollection of how I got there. Reality check . . . maybe some adjustments needed to be made to my multitasking philosophy.
Making calls while driving is just one example, I’m not sure how I would have made it mothering young children without being able to multitask. For years, I held a baby on my left hip while completing all my other chores with my right hand . . . cooking dinner, laundry, cleaning . . . did you know that basically, all daily activities can be accomplished with one arm and a baby on your hip? Recently, I heard a report on the radio claiming it’s been proven that nobody is successful at multitasking. The report went on to demonstrate this by suggesting multitasking was like trying to chase two balls thrown in opposite directions—it couldn’t be done.
As much as I may need to make some adjustments to my style of multitasking, this advice—NO MULTITASKING—seems much too restrictive! Immediately, I thought of the old joke about a person so dense they couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m not that dense!
And how about playing the piano and singing? Not that I can do it, but I’d like to learn. I even bought a piano from my neighbor a few years ago. Should I just scrap the whole thing because some research report says nobody can multitask successfully? It won’t be easy to learn to play the piano and sing at the same time, but it’s still my goal.
I truly believe that getting things accomplished is impossible without multitasking! One of my favorites is watching TV while ironing. Wait . . . that’s not a good example . . . I scorched a pair of linen pants last week during a particularly heated love scene.
Well, how about listening to a podcast while exercising? It makes the miles go by so much faster! Hang on . . . here’s another report . . . Did you know that hundreds of people are hit by a car and killed every year because they are distracted by their phones?? Okay, I guess listening to a podcast and exercising, at least while outside, isn’t such a great idea.
My defense of multitasking is not looking very strong. And I have to say, “I don’t like it!” It makes me feel old to HAVE to concentrate on just one thing at a time. I hate that I’m getting old—first to go is the physical strength and then the endurance. Remember the days of partying until 3 am and getting up and going to work the next day? I don’t either; I never was a night owl.
Multitasking is now a thing of the past for me. I think a better goal is to savor, appreciate, and enjoy each moment and try not to live life on auto pilot.
