Friday, September 30, 2011

Christa, Day 47: I Am Totally Doing Something Else Right Now

Since I'm busy reading blogs and my brain is desperately trying to get me to go downstairs to decoupage a label that reads CINNAMON SUGAR onto an old jam jar, I'll make this short. Today's simplification idea:
Single-task. Multi-tasking is more complicated, more stressful, and generally less productive. Instead, do one task at a time.
Admission: I so have to force myself to do this at work.

Luckily, up until just today when I agreed to take on a megadonic project without realizing the hugeocity of it, all my work could be done in small chunks. Do task A. Check email. Do task B. Get a coffee, read a blog post. Do task C. Complain about state of company with coworker. Do task D, if task D even exists. Which is a part of why I took on the aforementioned project. It's finite, though irritating. But in the long term, it should hopefully eliminate the roadblocks that are causing my downtime.

How does this project relate to the subject of multitasking? It involves a lot of running reports (borrrrrring) and so I end up poking around in between hitting COMPILE and actually saving the results.

Which is a fine illustration of me and my relationship to certain tasks. I can stay focused - or singletask, as Leo calls it - while doing certain things. Sewing. Washing the dishes. Walking to the park. I'm not the sort of person who checks the Internet on their phone every 15 seconds because I usually just leave my phone in my bag because I don't want anyone calling me anyway, much less sending me emails that come straight to my phone! BUT put me in front of a computer and my focus goes out the window.

Perfect example: As I typed the previous sentence my brain said CHECKFACEBOOKEMAILFACEBOOKEMAIL(1)SOMEONE
LIEKSMECHECKITCHECKIT!

And then for real, I refreshed my blog to update my roll. Bad habits, I know. I occasionally use site blockers to keep me plugging away toward various goals because I do want to get my work done. Checking items off a to-do list sends me into near-orgasmic spasms of joy, no joke. So my homework for Day 47 will be to continue to force myself (if necessary, kicking and screaming) to be more disciplined while working on the computer. I'll, er, let you know how that goes.

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