I was thinking about multi-tasking today, as I bought eight new pairs of underwear … while I was in the bathroom. Even though I laughed at the absurd nature of what I was doing, I was also a little pleased with my multi-tasking abilities.
Technology has afforded moms the ability to multi-task in new and amazing ways.
Of course, we’ve always had to multi-task, but never before have we had the ability to do it at such a pro level.
I remember the days when I had to send a child off to school with a minor health issue. I then had to glue myself to the house in case that child got sicker. Too bad if I had a million errands to do, back then there were no cell phones to reach a mom if she wasn’t at work or home.
Now, we can order coffee while we’re at a traffic light. We can listen to a book while we garden or learn French while we’re in the dentist’s chair. We have these amazing computer-thingies with us wherever we go and they make life so much easier.
Or, do they?
I ate out the other day and I watched a man stay on a phone call for ten minutes while his lovely companion sat there, bored out of her mind. I had to restrain myself from getting up and throwing his phone across the restaurant. Couldn’t his conversation have waited an hour? It was “multi-tasking” at its worst.
And, whenever we watch television, my husband tends to be on his phone, because apparently it is vital that I know what make and model every car in the movie is, even if it’s just parked in the background! I can’t say much besides an occasional, “I don’t care!” because I tend to answer texts whenever they come in, even if we’re in the middle of something.
We’ve grown so accustomed to doing more than one thing at a time, that we have become addicted to multi-tasking. I find myself getting jittery if I don’t have my phone next to me pretty much all of the time. Do I really need to constantly be doing more than one thing at a time just because I can?
This photo by John Blanding really convicted me:
Look at the older lady’s sweet face as she takes in what’s happening around her, and then look at the frenzy of the other people.
I think of this little lady all the time now. Whenever I’m tempted to pull out my phone I ask myself what I’m missing out on by staring at a screen. And, the answer is: I’m missing out on a lot. Multi-tasking is great during high stress times. It’s not so great for everyday life.
My goal has changed from seeing how many things I can accomplish at once to focusing on one thing at a time (whenever possible). I’m happier, the people I love are happier and it turns out that I don’t miss my frenetic multi-tasking at all.
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
