Finding Focus in a Multi-Tasking World
Can January be over soon? Please! I am ready for a new word. Focus is definitely giving me a challenge. Every day, I think: today is the day! Today I will find focus and get everything on the to-do list done.
As I type, I keep glancing at my focus mug. It seems to help. But I am beginning to wonder: is focus really possible in this day and age?
My landline is ringing, my cell phone is beeping. I am replying to emails in three separate accounts. I have countless programs and documents open on my desktop. I need to run errands. I am out tea, my kitchen light is repaired and ready to be picked up. The car needs to be serviced. It would be nice to exercise one of these days and return my friend Kimberly’s phone calls. And then there is the whole laundry thing.
Part of it is my own fault. I stop writing this post and read the emails as they pop up. I glance at the business card on my desk and call about the light fixture. So is the problem just discipline?
My mom never had these problems. Then again all she had was a single line phone. And when she was on it, we knew not to talk to her. My kids don’t think twice about talking to me as I type away at my computer. “Hey Mom, can you come here?” Of course I go. But before I am back at the computer, I tidy up the kitchen, sort the mail, remember two calls I forgot to make. This is life in 2009.
We live in multi-tasking times. No one knows it better than our friend Kyle Young. Her website www.multi-taskingwoman.com is online life support for women who do it all. Just knowing you aren’t alone helps. In fact, writing this post helped. Granted it took a couple hours to write because I kept getting distracted, but hey I did it. Maybe we need to start thinking of focus as a windy journey, not a straight line. Eventually we do get there, and we sure have seen a lot along the way.
Please share your multi-tasking to-do list. Trust me, you will feel better!
- Stephanie Ross
Empoword Co-CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer)
OMG! I couldn’t agree more! But now, please get to work business partner….we have a lot to do.
Hello!
Wonderful to spend a little time with you today! I’m right there with you on the problem with focusing. But I have to say some of my very best days are the days where I run around like crazy attending to work, my kids, my husband, volunteer work, housework, errands, cooking, cleaning, at the end of those busiest days, I feel really good and I know my life is full to the brim with things to do, people to love and projects yet to do. I’m proud to be a multi-tasking woman!!
I could have written this post.
I wrote a little thing about multi-tasking months ago. Perfect! Here you go.
Multi-tasking. Good or Bad? Hmmm
I actually used to brag about my multi-tasking abilities. My husband would comment that I was doing things half way. Now I must agree. One could say that multi-tasking to get your housework done is ok. Well maybe.
Any accomplishment done well. as minor as it may seem, really boosts your confidence. With that said I really don’t think housework should be at the top of your priorities list unless the lack of it renders you dysfunctional because you have no clean clothes, dishes or it takes you an hour to find your stapler to complete your training material. Well the stapler wasn’t actually lost. It was right in front of my nose, so what does that say about my state of mind? Oh yes I was working on this at 1:00 am, after the children were sleeping.
On a more serious note. Too much multi-tasking
* Can be indications of uncertain priorities
* Blocks your creativity
* Make others feel unimportant
* Cause you to miss important details
* Cause you to miss the simple joys
Final note: Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Multi-tasking. Good? Bad? I think I will try something new, FOCUSED MULTI-TASKING. Ha! I will let you know how that goes.