Friday, January 27, 2012

Multi-tasking.

Another catchphrase that has garnered a lot of attention over the years, ‘multi-tasking’ was something to be included in résumés and cover letters as a testament to one’s ability to perform as many simultaneous functions and get as much done as possible in the minimum amount of time.  Lately, more people are wondering whether it makes sense to multi-task and if we are truly working to our best abilities.

The way I see it, we have become a society of humans doing, rather than human beings.

One of the most difficult things for me in learning to guide Girlie through daily tasks was slowing down and doing one. thing. at. a. time.  There has been some improvement over the years, but Girlie is largely unable to follow multi-step instructions – to the point where she sometimes becomes distracted before accomplishing even the first step!  Give yourself an example: next time you’re instructing a child how to complete a chore or assignment, listen for how many steps are involved.  Unless one has had training to the contrary or is working with very young or challenged children, it’s pretty likely there are three or more steps to the task.

Sometimes, instructions are too ambiguous and have to be broken down for clarity.  It may sound like one task, but do you know how many steps are implied if you say, “go brush your teeth” or “go take a shower”?  That complicates things, doesn’t it?  Now it has to be taken one step at a time right from the word ‘go’ (Go where? Which bathroom?).  You might be able to imagine why something as seemingly simple as getting ready for school in the morning can take far longer than I would ever have expected.

For me, there is less tension in practicing doing each task mindfully, without thinking of the many other things I want/have/need to do.  Additionally, I can walk Girlie through the steps much more calmly, and that has a very positive effect on her stress level and increases her competency and confidence.

So, have I stopped ‘multi-tasking’?  No, in fact, I still try to pack too many errands into a given amount of time, do too many other things while cooking dinner, or find myself giving too many instructions.  I’m trying to be more mindful about it, though.  With one notable exception: I still knit and listen to audiobooks for the first three-fourths of my time on the treadmill.  I have to fool myself that the knitting and listening is what I’m really doing; the exercise is incidental. :-)

I love the Lion Brand Yarn free ecards!
Obviously knitting while walking is not a new idea,
as evidenced by this image of a painting done by
Swiss artist Albert Anker (1831-1910)

No comments:

Post a Comment