Multi-tasking: don't do it!

I used to be a huge fan of multi-tasking. You can get so much more done (apparently) and it is a much better use of your time. The only draw-back is this .... if you tend to get side-tracked, then at the end of the day, rather than a lot of tasks ticked off the to do list, you just have a rather large trail of destruction in your wake. I am definitely in this category!

As my blog title suggests, I lead a perpetually interrupted life. So despite my best intentions, I am inevitably drawn away from whatever task I was doing (often but not always by my children) and then having the very short working memory I have been "blessed" with, I forget all about the original task and am drawn to something else. So this year, I am making a renewed effort, NOT to multi-task but rather to start and more importantly, complete said tasks. I make a couple of exceptions; I can talk on the phone and do almost anything at the same time and I rarely watch TV without something else to sort through or do.

Every now and then, I revert to my old ways which is usually where everything goes horribly wrong. Take my Sunday evening for instance. Thinking I would get myself organised for the week ahead, I decided to whip up a batch of cookies for school lunch boxes. While I had these cooking, I was also preparing our evening meal, reading out spelling lists to at least one of my girls and listing several items to sell on a local Facebook group. Which is the primary reason I forgot to take the cookies out of the oven. Overcooked does not even begin to describe these offerings; they could be used as a weapon they are so hard. Bugger! It seems that I was on a roll because after popping down to the supermarket to get some milk I got sidetracked chatting to David when I got home and forgot all about the milk. All 6 litres of it left on the kitchen bench all night.

It pains me to say this but multi-tasking is just not for me. Better baby steps that I can complete in one session than a huge mess that becomes overwhelming. So back to my mantra "only one thing at a time". I might actually get something done this year.