I used to be a pretty good multitasker.
Maybe I was too good and got overconfident. I started juggling even more at a time.
Three times last week, though, I was in a real-time conversation with someone—twice via Twitter and once on the phone and I completely messed up.
The last time I messed up, I was proofing something I’d written (blog post, not my book), talking to my husband (not, I’m sure, very coherently), listening for a weather update on the television so I’d know what the children should wear for school, and messaging a writer on Twitter.
I got a returned DM on Twitter, “Sorry?” the tweeter said. “That link doesn’t relate to our conversation.”
Really? I frowned and looked at it. Sure enough, it was truncated gobbledygook from something else I was working on.
I apologized to the guy I was tweeting saying, “I’m working on 20 things at once.”
He was nice enough not to say, “And doing none of them well.” :) But I bet he was thinking it…and so was I.
I stopped everything I was doing, and focused on the one priority I really had at the moment. And that was the point that my morning started going smoothly.
Some things I can multitask. I can vacuum and write a book in my head. I can cook supper and come up with a blog post. I can exercise and work on plot lines.
Where it seems like it goes haywire for me is 1)when I try to interact with people and do something else simultaneously and 2) when I do more than one thing on the computer at once.
One thing I’ve never done is multitask around my children. They deserve my full attention—besides, kids will call you on it. But everyone else deserves my full attention, too—including my poor husband who has probably gotten completely used to incoherent sentences from me.
So here’s a new resolution for me—one thing at a time, if at all possible. And if I’m having a conversation with you, I’ll pay full attention (that means no writing the book in my head when we’re talking! Even if I think you’d make a nice character for my book.)
Are you a multitasker? How is it working for you? Are there some things you can multitask better than others?
I do try to multitask, but generally find I come up with the same results that you did – not very good ones.
I now write myself daily to-do lists and work through them. Doing them one task at a time and it seems to actually be working for me.
I probably get more done and done better by working on one thing at a time. It takes me less time to do one thing twice than trying to do two things, badly, once.
I prefer to do things one by one; it gives the best result. However, in reality, I’m forced to multitask
Cold As Heaven
I do lots of multitasking and although I get many things done, I can’t say they are jobs well done.
T
Elizabeth – Oh, I’ve had things like that happen to me, too, and it is embarrassing!
I am not much of a multi-tasker. I really am not. I wish I did it better, but I simply don’t. I can multi-task a few things (e.g. doing laundry while checking EMail), but that’s about it. I’ve found that the more similar the things are that I’m trying to do, the more they interfere with each other. I’m much more likely to screw up if I’m both writing and commenting on blogs, for instance, than I am if I’m writing and, say, planning dinner.
I’m a very good multi-tasker when it comes to procrastination. I can waste time doing a dozen things at once!
Doing one thing, doing it well, and moving on is always good advice. I think I multi-task best when one of the tasks is ‘background’, like tv or music. Cooking works that way as well. But as I get older, I’m finding it’s getting way too easy to get distracted. I’m constantly standing in the middle of the room wondering why I’m there?
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
I find myself able to multi-task much of the time…except when I’m under pressure. Then I can’t seem to determine what takes highest priority because everything seems to need my attention all at once and it stresses me out. When I’m at home, however, the multi-tasking works fine.
I have never been good at multi-tasking. I have a bit of dyslexia, so I need to be focused on one thing at a time. That is one of the reasons I can’t listen to music and write, let alone try to write while watching TV or talking to someone.
I make lists and prioritize items, and try to work through them one by one.
I’m totally not a multi-tasker. I’m not even all that great at trying to write and query on the same day. (Or write new words on one book and edit another in the same week.) Sometimes I force myself to, but it doesn’t turn out well. I can, however, think about writing while I’m doing other tasks that don’t require that part of my brain. You know, like plotting and crocheting. If that’s a kind of multi-tasking, I’m all over it. =o)
Good lesson. I probably needed to read this before I started trying to do too much at once as well! Thanks!
There was a time… I am like you, to some degree–I can PHYSICALLY do something that doesn’t require my active processer, and then THINK at the same time, but anymore, even the smallest things (listening to music) seem to require my active processor. I try to do one thing at a time.
And you are better than me about the kids. I like to hope I’d be better if I were the primary parent, but if they interrupt my writing, they are only likely to get about 30% attention…
Recently I’ve tried a different approach, focus on on thing and finish it, repeat process, then go back to writing. I was finding myself to be scattered and all over the place while not accomplishing much.
Definitely some better than others. I can do a lot of writing related things in my head while vacuuming or cooking or showering or driving or other active-type activities. I can blog, email, and read news while watching TV. I can be half-coherent in those activities while talking on the phone, if the other person is doing most of the talking. But that’s about it. Anything else, and something or someone loses.
I discovered a long time ago that I do better concentrating on one thing at a time, but sometimes my mind still wanders .
Bit of an echo here but I’m the same way. There are things I can do with my hands while my head is somewhere else (cleaning while writing in my head) but when the mind needs to be engaged it’s got to be one thing at a time.
I multi-task really well as long as one task is purely physical & requires no brainpower. BUT I can’t do it with people often either. I’m getting better at forcing myself to focus, but it’s hard! :)
Rebecca–Good point–if we’re having to redo one of the tasks, we haven’t saved any time.
Cold As Heaven–I feel forced to it sometimes, too. And it stresses me out!
Jeffrey–Trying to prioritize can really be tough sometimes.
Teresa–I think that’s where I am with it, too.
Margot–I’ve never thought about it, but you’re right–the more alike the two activities are, the more likely I am to mess one of them up.
B.E. Sanderson–I’d be thinking SO HARD if I were trying to crochet that there would be no plotting happening at all!
Alan–Yes, I’m good at that, too! Ha!
Terry–Maybe that’s why I’m doing the same thing! As 40 approaches, I’m definitely seeing some changes.
Colene–I think it’s easy to overdo it!
Hart–I can listen to music without lyrics, but that’s the only kind (unless I’m editing…then I can listen to anything!)
Stephen–And that’s a frustrating feeling.
Jane–Oh, me too. I have a hard time doing one thing at a time.
Linda–I swear I used to be able to do 2 thought-intensive tasks at once, but those days are apparently gone. :)
Maryann–That sounds like a very sensible way to approach tasks!
I prefer doing things in stages, instead of multi-tasking, unless I’ve got so much to do it’s the only way of getting things done.
I can usually do two things at once, but any more than that and I make mistakes.
Right now I’m blogging and watching tv, but I have to keep stopping doing one in order to do the other… so not very well. :0)
This is so true. Often mutli-tasking gets me nothing but distracted and eating a crispy dinner! LOL! Thank you for the great post.