2010-04-15

Next step: STOP multi-tasking

Yes, I want my life back.

So after the NO.RE.LO.P. experiment aimed to dramatically reduce my sick addiction to emails, today I have decided the next move: stop multi-tasking. I'm learning every day along my journey towards a *normal* life. I've realized the multi-tasking behaviour is a big - huge - massive obstacle to my desired lifestyle.

Why?

Yesterday I took 15 good minutes to observe my boss, trying to understand what I should retain from doing in order not to be like her.

Well, in this lapse of time she managed to do the following:
  • talk on the phone for all the 15 minutes (while wearing a horrible bluetooth earphone);
  • keep on typing on the keyboard at the same speed she normally does when she's not on the phone:
  • go to the loo and come back... still in the same phone conversation. Yeach!
  • send an incomprehensible email to me;
  • write some instructions on a post-it and give it to the PA;
  • check the blackberry every couple of minutes.
All at the same time! I was feeling stressed (and sorry) for her.

Then a phone call interrupted my observation, I picked it up and started a conversation (with earphones on), I started typing on my keyboard, I replied to an email. Wait a second... I was doing exactly the same, how miserable!

And even worse... I always do that:
  • read email + have breakfast
  • brush teeth + pee
  • talk on the phone + send email
  • lunch at desk + keep on working
  • eat dinner + book flight
  • etc.. etc...
Is this normal? No.

Learning: you can not enjoy anything that you're doing if you do more than one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is an enemy of downshifting. Mono-tasking is a new rule in my (one day normal) life.

Erm... football + beer is still ok, isn't it?

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