We all do it!! I think as a mother, a wife, an
entrepreneur and a woman, I do it a lot!! Check an email here, colour with the
kids there, check the oven for dinner and send out a Facebook message. I use to
think I was really good at it. My husband could ask me something and I would
answer him while texting on my iphone and folding the clean clothes. I would
get so angry with him when I asked him a question and he didn't answer because
he was answering an email or text message. He would say "if you want my
full attention, wait until I am finished". It use to drive me crazy! But
when the time came to play with the kids, have a conversation with me or take
the day off, his phone was away and he was 'unplugged' so his attention was
100% with them. He knew he could not give 100% to more then one thing at a
time.
When my business started getting busier and my
days were filled with more emails, more Facebook messages and texts, I found my
multitasking was increasing as well. The time I had planned to spent with the
kids or make dinner or plan workouts blurred with everything else I had to
do.
So I started thinking about multitasking and
the benefits. I knew the ones I could think of; save time, get more done,
finish task faster, but of course I wanted more details. I went online and
started reading blogs and websites and soon started to see the truth. (Bulp, I
don't admit it very often but my husband was right!!)
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| working woman Success Image courtesy of pong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
According to Wikipedia the definition of
multitasking: is the best performance by an individual of
appearing to handle more than one task at the same time. The term is derived
from computer
multitasking. An example of multitasking is taking phone calls while
typing an email. Some believe that multitasking can result in time wasted due
to human context
switching and apparently causing more errors due to
insufficient attention.
A recent article on Forbes.com said that Multitasking DOES NOT
work. It says that we all multitask to try and save time but in reality we are
not saving any "valuable" time. You may be able to watch TV, read a
blog, make dinner and do some squats to get your exercise in but did you really
take much away from what you were watching on TV? Or from the blog? You can get
stuff done multitasking but what gets left behind?
Our short term memories can only store between 5 - 9 things at
once. So if you are trying to read a good blog and watch something important on
the TV, our brain just can't take in and process all the information at once.
If the information doesn't get placed in the short term memory it cannot be
stored in the long-term memory to recall later. So in reality, you didn't
accomplish much from the blog or the TV watching. So was it worth it in the
first place?
One of the best parts of my business is I can work from anywhere.
Starbucks, the beach, at the park or at home. I always talk about my favourite
benefit is that I get to spent time with my kids when others working a 9-5 job
do not. I love it but what I was finding was that when I was really busy and
working hard, that blurred line came into my time with my kids. I didn't like
it. I wanted to spend quality time with them, not passive time while I checked
my iphone again for emails and texts. The downside of working your business
from anywhere, is often times I do work it everywhere!! The need to disconnect,
unplug and remove from business and get on the floor and play Lego or barbies
or make cookies while making a huge mess is SO important to our everyday
routine. If you can commit to time with 100% attention, your brain will
function better, the memories will be stored for later and every aspect of your
time will get better.
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| mother and children image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Stay tunes for my blog on Scheduling and organizing when working
from home. In the mean time, turn off the tv, unplug the phone and go play dress
up with the kids or go for a bike ride. That activity and that time will be much
better spent in the long run.
Yours in Health and Wealth
Lindsay
If you are interested in learning more about me and my business,
please check out my website:
www.Evolve4You.com
Tweet with me @Evolve4U
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