Episode 047 - The MultiTasking Myth...

Free-Climbing on sea cliffs, Gozo - Malta. © Neil Cowmeadow 2017

Hear The Thesis

The Thursday Thesis  - 11/05/2017

“Why Multi-Tasking is Twaddle...”

“Oh, stop being such a wuss - I do it every day”, she said. “I’m a woman, and all women can multi-task, you know”.

I asked her to stop the car.

There was something terrifying about the way she held her coffee cup against the steering-wheel of the big 4x4 whilst she stroked lipstick onto those lusciously pouting lips, in between speaking on her phone.

I got out of her Range Rover and walked away. She thought I was having a breakdown.

“Multitasking” – don’t make me laugh.

Throwing two tonnes of metal down the road at 50 miles per hour whilst balancing a cup of coffee, daubing war-paint and talking crap – all at the same time – speaks of someone out of control, rather than in control.

Add to that arrogant mix the inconvenience of other road users: little crumple-zoned steel boxes and the soft bounciness of cyclists and pedestrians...

It’s never going to go well, is it?

It’s a little-known fact that multi-Tasking is a computing term, dating back to when machines started to be able to run more than one program at a time.

But here’s the thing: they didn’t run more than one program at the same time.
No, those early computers divided their processing capacity and shared out slices of time to their various tasks and programs; but because this happened so quickly, the machines seemed to be doing everything at once.

So Multi-Tasking is a myth, especially as the term is misapplied to humans.

For Multi-Tasking, read Multi-Distracted.

If you want to get something done, FOCUS on that one thing. Take away all of the distractions and unrelated activities.

If you’re going to drive, then drive – but your phone can wait.

If you’re having dinner with your partner, have dinner with your partner – and don’t invite FaceBook to join you.

If you’re with your kids, only be with your kids – because your emails will still be in your inbox after you’ve sung that lullaby.

Many highly productive people attribute their success to their focus – on doing just one thing.

Many of them wake up early to do their most important work before anyone else is awake and potential distractions aren’t getting started. Consequently, these folks have done half a day’s work before the world is even out of bed, let alone got its boots on.

FOCUS gets it done.

Just do One Thing.

Do I miss Range Rover girl?

Yes I do.

And while she’ll be free in a few weeks, the little boy she crushed will never walk or talk again.

His mom has given up her career to care for him.

And Range Rover girl will be out of prison soon, she’ll be back out on the road again, Multi-Tasking.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?


© Neil Cowmeadow 2017

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