I’m not exactly sure when this skill escaped me. I assume it didn’t happen over night, but perhaps it did. Or, maybe it’s been gone for a while, but I just noticed today. Like when you lose an earring, but don’t realize it’s lost until three weeks later when you only see one turquoise stud in your jewelry box.
Today I realized I have completely lost the ability to do one thing at a time.
Ironically, as children we are taught to do exactly that. We are taught to walk, and then talk. Taught to color, jump rope, eat with a fork, and brush our teeth. As kids, we followed directions and mastered the art of accomplishing one task at a time. We colored quietly at our desks, ate dinner at the table, and brushed our teeth standing in front of the sink.
Do you know where I brush my teeth? In the laundry room, while I transfer towels from the washer to the dryer. Yes, I realize that’s a ridiculous mental image because truthfully, how can one successfully brush their teeth while doing laundry? I’ll tell you how. I brush my teeth with my right hand, inhaling toothpaste and trying not to spit everywhere, while I transfer towels one by one with my left hand.
This must be the walking definition of inefficient.
Surely I am not putting forth a quality effort towards either task, and it’s obviously more time-consuming to transfer towels one by one while inhaling toothpaste, as opposed to transferring with both hands. But, who cares? The point is—I am doing two things at once! I’m practically a circus act! Look at me everyone! Look how I can multitask! I can sort mail while I cook dinner, and I can bake cookies while I clean. I can online shop while I upload photos, and I can tweet while I blog. I’m amazing!
Or, am I? Because sometimes I think I’m completely and utterly ridiculous.
When was the last time I just….ate a sandwich? No talking, watching TV, magazine scanning, or phone checking? Can’t remember. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I had one tab open on my Internet browser, which drives my husband b-a-n-a-n-a-s. I can’t seem to function without at least four tabs open at all times: e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, oh–and whatever it is I am actually supposed to be doing.
Am I too old to develop ADD? Because sometimes I think it might be happening. Almost as if my brain is on steroids and I can’t seem to help myself. First thing in the morning, I open my most important project, take a breath, and focus. Ding! My eyes jot down to the right corner. New e-mail in Outlook! Immediately ditch project to read e-mail. Oh, never mind, it’s not important. Back to the project. Tweet! New tweets loading in Tweetdeck! Anything interesting going on today? Not really. Back to project. Beep! What’s that? Text message! Let me just reply to that real fast. Ring! “Thank you for calling The Citizen…”
Oh look at that, time for lunch.
Sometimes I feel as if my life is one big cluster of dings and tweets and beeps and rings. And sometimes (confession), I really just want to hit the “off” button. Unfortunately, I can’t do that because fortunately I have a job, and that job requires me to be plugged in. Does anyone else feel like they occasionally suffer from technology overload? Or, is it just me? Is anyone else dreaming of quarterly technology-rehabs?
Thankfully, next weekend will be spent at the beach, where I plan on avoiding my phone like the plague. Seriously, if you see me on twitter please feel free to tweet-yell at me (in all caps).
In the meantime, I’ll be working on my ability to do one thing at a time. Starting now, as I shamelessly close my open seven tabs.
Help. Me.
Love the post! I was just talking about this the other day. I feel the same way! In the last two years it seems like I’ve developed tech ADD as well. I’ll be right back…Sorry. Just had to respond to an email, check Tweetdeck, look at my phone, write something in my calendar and now I’M BACK on task. Ha! I now try to catch my self doing multiple things and not let the “check me, check me” voice takeover. About 50% of the time that strategy works. Hopefully we’ll figure out a way to manage it all
Alli let’s plan a technology rehab weekend. I’m thinking near a pool and spa….no cell phones, iPads, or laptops allowed
Ashlee I <3 your blog, but I hope you don't multitask while you're driving!!! Driving and texting don't belong together!!! Have fun at the beach!!!
xoxo
p.s. Your multitasking will be in super overdrive when you and B have kids!!!
oh mutitasking with kids–much harder at times and then there are times I just want to do 1 thing at a time and there are time when I need to unplug
julie@my5monkeys´s last blog ..Education Books
I’m going to hunt down the caffeine obsessed engineer who decided it would be great to have “tabbed browsing” (already found him … Adam Stiles – Watch your back!).
My goal? To create a new browser that shuts down your computer when you go to open Tab #3.
You have the ability to take exactly what I’m thinking and some how turn it into English and not garbled junk like “technology bad me stuck cupcake hi!” Which is really the type of shit that I think about. Ha.
I have srsly been thinking a lot about this lately and I’m so with you failing to do one thing at a time. I need help too :/
Liz´s last blog ..Love Shack- Where the magic happens
We are so conditioned to do this now. I watch my stepdaughter (14) who CANNOT do one thing at a time — she has to be stimulated and entertained, her attention constantly split in 12 different directions all the time.
I recently read something about this… that we’ve been multi-taskers historically (holding baby on hip while making bread)—the difference is that now we’re trying to do multiple things in the same “category” (they had a fancy word for it) at the same time, i.e., talk on the phone and read an email, or converse with friend while posting to twitter. We can do a physical thing and a mental thing at the same time without it taking the same resources. I’m not explaining it that well… and it seems obvious, but it really helped me reframe my “multi talking” to more simple things.
Great post =) Thanks!!!
michelle marlahan´s last blog ..Doing the Actual Thing
Oh gosh! Right there with you girl… as I close my 5 tabs.
Jessica´s last blog ..10 Life Lessons from Scrapbooking
I laugh at the brushing teeth habit, because I do something similar too. I’ll rush about the house doing little “put aways” while I’ll brush, which isn’t very kosher and as a friend pointed out, not very present. I’m not letting myself be alone with the act of brushing my teeth. Or eating. Or reading a book. Too much at once probably does prevent me from not only doing one thing at a time, but being one place at a time. Oh, gotta run: time to rinse.
Bella Q@ thecitizenrosebud´s last blog ..xochiQuetzal
Michelle how interesting! I think you might be right though….I have the worst ADD when I try to do too many things in the same category, especially social interactions.
This question is coming from a technologically challenged person – what is a tab?? LOL.
Oh, Mom. *sigh*
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