Why You Should Relax and Stop Multitasking
Not to brag, but I am a master at multitasking! I'm very organized and can do several things at once. I have always been this way and just did it without much thought about it. Then it became all the rage. Multitasking became a popular word and it was thought to be a valuable attribute. I was pleased that I fell into this category, until I realized something that made me change my ways.
I was, as usual, doing three things at once one day when I realized I was feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. I stopped right in the middle of these three things and just stood there, taking some deep breaths, trying to relax. Suddenly a veterinarian I used to go to popped into my mind. I remembered how focused she was when she was working on one of my animals. She would go from one thing to another, but focused on one thing until it was complete. I used to admire her for being so calm and thorough.
Well, it hit me like a ton of bricks! This whole multitasking routine was making me a nervous wreck and probably had for most of my adult life! I vowed right then and there to stop, breath, slow down and be like my vet. Focus entirely on one thing at a time and then move on. I was afraid I wouldn't get as much done, but guess what? I actually got more done and felt I did it better. And when I was finished I didn't feel frazzled and overwhelmed.
I still fall into the multitasking mode sometimes and have to catch myself. I won't say that there aren't times in our lives when we have to do several things at once, but in general we don't and shouldn't. It only leads to frazzled nerves, confusion and exhaustion. It can also lead to a job not done as well as it could be. I find the things I do now are performed more efficiently since I've started focusing completely on one job at a time.
We live in a world today that is fast and furious. We feel we have to accomplish so much in one day or we are failures somehow. If we don't "do, do, do" or go, go, go, we are lazy, not competent, not professional, out of sync...something bad! When did we become a group of people who think we're superhuman? There is only so much one can take on in any given day and we have to stop thinking we can go beyond that limit. It's not only bad for our health and mental stability, but can cause mistakes that can really screw things up.
My advice for anyone who is a multitasker is to relax and FOCUS. Put your whole attention on the task at hand and then move on to the next. You'll be amazed at the results and how you feel. I have to say thanks to Jennifer for making me see this.
