That used to be a major part of me – I could multitask with the best. In my hindsight eye, I watch myself at work as I tucked a phone under my chin, worked on the computer, slid my chair to a file cabinet, got up to open a door, and I never missed a beat! Even at home, I could talk, cook, watch TV, all at the same time and everything came out fine. Well, I still have that mindset, and I continue to attempt this feat, but I’m not as successful as I once was. I used to tell people to keep talking, that I really was paying attention when I was doing two or more things at once. Well, now it seems that just isn’t happening.
I can still work on a crossword puzzle and hear/watch TV, but I find I can no longer read a book and watch. (Yes, I really did that!!) The other day I had the little guy, and I sat him in his chair as I tried to follow a recipe. He was chirping, my husband was talking on the phone in the next room, the TV was on behind me, and I became totally discombobulated. I had to wait until the phone call was over, have my husband entertain the little guy and turn down the TV volume, and then I could read and execute the recipe. More and more I’m seeing this. When several conversations are going on around me, I feel my head swirl and I can’t concentrate. I can listen to music while I type on the computer, but I can no longer listen to someone talking to me. It’s funny – Judy from Peace Be With You just commented that our mistakes could be more than MS – they might be from aging! Nooooooooo!! However, the thought did cross my mind. I’m trying now to do one thing at a time and do it well before I start something else. It’s a slow process to break away from former patterns, and I often forget. The simple fact that I no longer move as well as before may be enough to quiet my actions. But I do miss my days of doing many things in the same timeframe.
I’m not sure that multitasking is the healthiest option for anyone. We all need to slow down sometimes, take a few deep breaths, and just enjoy life and the world around us. That’s my way of rationalizing, and I’m sticking to it.
Peace,
Muff
Twofer: A Hooker Story and a Stripper Story
2 hours ago
6 comments:
When I (as we used to call it) do two things at once, I loose my concentration and misplace stuff. It seems some days I loose more than I find. You're not alone Sista'. Have a great weekend
There was a research report I read about in a reputable place (though can't remember where, ha!) which indicated that women are more inclined to doing multitasking effectively than men are. And no, I won't take that line of reasoning to the next step -- that, as my multitasking skills diminish, I am becoming more like a male or less of a woman. No way.
Judy
Oh, I am so with you on this one. I'm doing a little better right now, but on bad days, I really can only deal with one thing at a time; Read, hear, discuss, whatever--but only one thing. And even on good days, I can't abide human-generated chaos.
From what I've read, though, "multitasking" is a fantasy; people can task-switch and keep multiple tasks going, but they can't truly multitask, and trying to do so makes them "accomplish" things badly. So, our journey with M.S. just made us bad liars-to-ourselves, and now we have to be more truthful than others with our own, totally human, limitations. Hell of a "disease," eh?
I was probably the best multi tasker on the planet. But you know what...I missed a lot of the really important things in life. I'm enjoying the slower pace.
Oh, but you are so right, Muff. I call it mindfulness - the act of giving full attention to what you are doing. The current thinking that we are doing a better job by multitasking is wrong, in my opinion. We may be doing more, along with making more mistakes along the way. I read in the cookbook Laurel's Kitchen, many years ago, that when we cook a recipe, we should pay strict attention to what we are doing. Put our all into it.
If this is what we must do because MS has made thinking difficult, it is not a bad thing. I think of it as a positive.
I believe it is from aging...I know many older friends that say the same about the multi tasking, no longer...then I see my daughter quickly do so many things at once...I get envious since I used to be that way
Post a Comment