Tuesday, November 04, 2008

The Queen of Multi-Tasking

I just got back from voting. John left early this morning and stood in line for about 1 hour 20 minutes. He called and told me I'd have some wait time ahead of me, so I called the leader of our Brownie troop and we stood line together and planned the next three meetings while we waited! Multi-tasking at it's best! Woohoo--I have one less thing on my to-do list.

I try really, really hard to use my time wisely. Today, we have a Brownie meeting, so I'm letting the crock-pot cook dinner for me. Tomorrow, Sarah has a dental appointment, and I already have a stack of stuff to take with me to work on while I'm waiting for her.

I often use my time in the pick-up line at school to clean out my van, make phone calls, or read. If I'm on the phone at home, I like to be doing something...wiping down a sink or my countertops or my kitchen cabinets...really anything as long as it doesn't involve reading or counting!

There are times that it doesn't pay to multi-task though, and sometimes it's just easier to stick to the task at hand and complete it rather than try to knock out five other things while you're waiting. BUT, on busy days like today, I am very much aware of the need to do several things simultaneously.

Are you a multi-tasker? What are some ways that you accomplish this?

Oh, and if any of you ever figure out a way to multi-task while blogging, please let me know!

19 comments:

Brenda said...

Just got back from voting. Not to rub it in, but there was unbelieveably no line!
I'm like you while waiting in line. Whether it's on the phone or just reading a book. I also love my crockpot.
Haven't figured out the multi-tasking while blogging tho. Let me know when you figure out something!
God bless,
Brenda :)

Deidre said...

Yes, I am a multi-tasker! My mind is constantly thinking of what to do next and what I can 'knock out' quickly while working on something else.

Multi-tasking while blogging ... now, that would be a great thing ;)

Jennifer said...

I usually do several things at once too. I think the main reason is that I like to get as much done when the kids are in school as possible.

I had to laugh when we went to vote today there was only one other person in there. But we voted at the elementary school. On the good note I did see both my kid's walking by..........one to lunch and one to Art. :)

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

I did crockpot dinner last night because of Brownies too!

And, yes, I will fill the time while I wait or watch TV, but typically I try not to multitask. For me, doing too much at once means doing nothing well.

Holly said...

Let's see, I just ate lunch, while catching up in a few friends' blogs. Is that considered multi-tasking?

Glad you made it home safely, Mer.

Megan L Hutchings said...

While I have not figured out how to multi-task while blogging, I always try to take advantage of available time. I often go home at lunch, eat, and then use the remaining time to clean. I also do a lot in the morning before I leave ;)!

Amber said...

Oh, I dream of being a multi-tasker. I'm pretty good at doing household chores when I'm on the phone...but, I am TERRIBLE at doing anything else simultaneously. If I get involved in something, it is so hard for me to have something else going on at the same time.

Oh well....

I would have loved to have had a friend to chat with in my voting line today though!

Michele said...

Yep, I am definitely a multitasker - Go, Go, Go is my motto. Although I really am trying to slow down. Multitasking gets me in trouble sometimes, like guess where I found my cell phone tonight? In my kitchen cabinet!!! Sometimes it causes me to get snappy with my kids too. However, when my head hits the pillow at night I am O-U-T!!!

You will not believe this but I read blogs and work at the same time. I transcribe for doctors and sometimes in-between patients I will take a looksie and read a blog and go off and type the next patient.

Congrats on multitasking while in the line to vote. You deserve a multitasking sticker along with your "I voted" sticker.

I need to use my crockpot more often. Where do you find your recipes?

Gretchen said...

Three words: mail in voting.

Won't it be nice to have the election behind us? We can just pray for whoever gets in and continue doing the best we can with what we have.

I'm a multitasker on the phone. In fact, I often clean toilets while talking to my Grum. If it's been a while, she'll remark that she hasn't cleaned a toilet with me in a while. ;) Sometimes, though, I have to snap myself out of mtm (multitask mode) or I find that I stop listening to my kids and they start irritating me. All their fault, of course.

Jackie said...

I am not so good at multi-tasking...wish I was. Just reading all that you do was making me say "Wow!"

Pretty sure that blogging is a stand-alone activity - how unfortunate! We'd get so much more done if we could multi-task while doing that too.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

I voted last week, so that's behind me. No matter the outcome, in God I trust.

I'm not much of a multi tasker unless you count the washer and/or dryer running while I do something else, or eating while blogging. I do manage to do that occasionally.

As I recall, you found me first and commented on my blog about you being from Jonesboro originally, etc. I don't know how you came across my blog though....

Love and hugs,

Diane

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

I'm a multi tasker. Aren't all women? I rarely go anywhere without a pad of paper so I can jot things down as I think of them. I'm pretty good at getting a few thing rolling while cleaning the house.
I like to mentally plan my day or review my day depending on the time of day! I prefer to quietly breath in and out, keep my eyes closed and visualize all that needs to be done, say a little prayer then get up and get to it.

Anonymous said...

Multi-taking during blogging! Oh how I wish I knew that secret!
The best I can come up with is to write a rough draft in my head while doing something else like folding laundry.
But, as most writers will agree, a mental rough draft usually looks nothing like the final post. So it's kind of a waste of mental energy. Hmph.

Angie said...

My computer is near my kitchen (or sometimes I take it into the kitchen) so while I am uploading pictures to my blog (it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r) I do stuff in the kitchen - wash dishes, peel potatoes, stir something.

Tiffani said...

I am so laughing at Michele's comment...she described herself so well :)!!

I know nothing if not how to multitask...in fact, when Connor was little bitty (barely 3), he was ALWAYS a talker and had a big vocabulary...and "multitasking" was one of his fave words to use...used to crack people up..so that should give you some sort of indication on my "skills" :)

I, like you, try to find ANY way to be doing more than one thing at a time...in line, on the phone, but I just feel like it's the best way I can manage my time...and then, I have plenty of time for Twilight...hehehe...

Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt said...

Multitasker here. But I could be better about planning out my time, that's for sure.

Angie @ Flibbertigibberish said...

Gosh, I TRY to multi-task, but forget! I'll sit and read blogs or do the dishes and realize I could've had laundry in that whole time. I'm trying to be more intentional though. However, I can't just sit and watch TV... I feel so guilty. So I'm almost always folding laundry or sorting paperwork or crocheting or SOMETHING.

Blogging and multitasking - actually, I do. I try to do kegel exercises while I'm reading blogs. :) Can I say that here? Hey, I just had a baby. Cut me some slack!

Unknown said...

I nurse and blog. Also I sometimes do my mani or pedi...

Hooray for multi-tasking! YOu rock at it because you plan it out. Me, I just end up doing it and that's when I go cra-azy.

Jenn said...

I have thought about having a friend call me once a week so I can clean my house while we talk. I always get so much done around the house when I am on the phone. It makes the chores go by faster. :o)