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When
Multi-Tasking Goes Bad
© Alana
Morales 2005
Now
that I have been a work at home mom for well over a year now I have
become the Queen of multi-tasking.
How
can this be a bad thing? Well, I now completely lack the ability
to do less than three things at a time. When I sit down to watch
a movie or TV show, I am still working or thinking about working
or feeling guilty about not working.
I decided
to make a chart of my daily activities and how they get completed.
When
I eat breakfast, I am also emptying the dishwasher, feeding and
cleaning up the kids from their breakfast and cleaning my kitchen
from the night before.
When
I am folding clothes, I am also getting snacks, getting my son's
backpack ready for the next day or refereeing a karate match between
my kids.
When
I am driving, I am going through spelling words with my son, thinking
about the work I need to do that day, or trying to remember what
I need from the store.
When
I am going to the bathroom - wait a minute. I don't get to go to
the bathroom for more than 27 seconds anyway, so that doesn't really
leave time for much else. Except yelling down the hall at my daughter
who now knows how to open up the drawers in the kitchen.
My husband is starting to get frustrated with me because when I
do get to spend a little time with him in the evening, my mind is
always elsewhere. Which I think is ironic, considering that it is
usually the woman who is mad at the husband for being distracted
all the time.
Torture
for me would be to sit me on the couch with absolutely nothing -
no paper, no pens to write on my hand with, no articles to read.
Then make sure the kitchen was messy and my kid's clothes needed
to be washed. Then just force me to sit there and do nothing.
After
about 19 seconds I would begin to tremble. After a minute I would
look like I was going through detox. After about 5 minutes, you
would have to strap me to the couch, because that would be the only
way I would be able to not do anything.
What
if it is like a drug addiction and I have to add more and more tasks
to my plate? Where would I be able to draw the line? Is there a
limit to how many tasks a woman can tackle at a time?
Just
think, if I could be a guy for a day, I wouldn't have any problem
with this. After being married for almost ten years, I am convinced
that the only multi-tasking men can do is read while going to the
bathroom. Just think about how much less productive women would
be if we were like this?
Psssst....Wanna
see my blog?
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