Sometimes I’m doing so many things at once I feel like my head is actually spinning. I get dizzy and want to fall over. Sometimes I’m doing them so FAST that I get this feeling of vertigo and start to feel like I want to puke. I am not sure if this is a female thing, a mom thing, or perhaps a combination of both. I’ve always been proud of how many things I can get accomplished in a limited amount of time. Being efficient has always been a trait that got me compliments and admiration.
I gotta tell ya, since I became a mom it feels more like an affliction rather that an attribute. Most people would hold their head up high and be a “proud” multitasker, it even has a positive ring to it. I’ve even seen people listing it on their Resume as a “good” trait! However when you find yourself getting almost sick from the activity of multi-tasking then you’ll be asking yourself… is this a gift or a disease?
Here are some of the symptoms:
1) You have a habit of doing at least three things at once while actually thinking about the OTHER 3 things that you’re going to be doing when you get these three things done!
2) While multitasking, you’ve actually physically fallen over, slipped or tripped on something and required a first-aid kit or had to seek medical attention.
3) Random Onset Forgetfulness. For example: You put something in the microwave to cook. Start it and then leave it there. All day. Never to be eaten, and only to be discovered when you go back to the microwave to do it again.
4) You successfully carry the following: 1 laundry basket (full), a cup of coffee and your laptop up a flight of stairs… while on the phone.
5) You have broken, damaged, or spilled something while managing multiple tasks only to step over the carnage and carry on with your other business.
6) When you go to the gym you: exercise, watch the TV, listen to the music and manage to relax at the same time.
7) You consider the following: Making breakfast for the kids, coffee for you, unloading the dishwasher, checking your e-mail, paying your bills and Twittering… ONE morning task.
8) All of the following can happen simultaneously: Making play-doh animals with the kids, cleaning out an entire closet, making lunch and folding laundry. In seperate rooms.
I think many of you can relate to the above list of symptoms and I may even have you worried. If you are not ready to admit you have this problem , it’s ok. I’ll be here for you when you come to the realization that since you have children…it’s likely you have this disorder. From what I can see, there is no cure. But here are some tips to keep yourself just a little more sane:
Cut back on Coffee! Keep it to less than a pot. Sit DOWN to eat, enjoy your meal, think of it as “time away from the kids” Also, keep hydrated it’ll make you feel better and you’ll have to use the bathroom more often, or as I like to call it, “the REST room” And of course ask for some help from time to time!
You are NOT alone, Go to the comments section and tell me your funniest or scariest Multitasking Syndrome story!
Comments
#3 is so true. I frequently find my self walking into the kitchen only to forget why I was going there. Three trips later, I actually get it right and remember my original reason for going to the kitchen. LOL!
Multi-tasking is a skill and if you are causing yourself bodily harm in the process, one you might not possess LOL
Great post!
I agree that moms are more prone to multi-tasking than any other group on the planet. However, it’s not always a good thing. A few years ago (before my current career as a professional organizer!), I almost burned the house down because I forgot that I had put on a pot of water to boil to make spaghetti. I was trying to get started on a few things before taking my daughter to an activity. While I was sitting down watching her, it suddenly dawned on me! By the time I got home, the pot had burnt through and was now melting the electric burners, all because I was doing a gazillion things at once trying to be supermom!! lol
It’s funny now, but had I not remembered, who knows what would have happened. That moment reminded me to slow down and aim to work on one thing at a time, if at all possible. When you focus on one thing at a time, you are truly being more productive and seeing things through, instead of having a bunch of unfinished tasks due to not staying focused. Multi-tasking can be exhilarating at times, because, for some tasks, it’s certainly doable, but the key is not to overdo it and end up getting yourself into trouble!
Thanks for your funny blog! 🙂
Funny but true………………………..oxooxoLove your humor on real stuff ..YES I can relate ………….oxox
Number 4 is me. It’s like you peeked in my house this morning. I have a fourteen month old and constantly have to remind myself NOT to add her to the “things to carry up the stairs” list. She goes ALONE, otherwise I fear falling or tripping! THEN I come back for the coffee, laptop, and phone!
Hello, my name is Patty and I suffer from MTD. I have been known to have two of more To Do lists floating around my desk. It is common for me to have 6-10 tabs open on my internet browser.
Yes, before having kids multi-tasking was an asset. Now the appearance of multi-tasking is just me running around with my head chopped off.
Wishing you a scent-sational day!
Patty
LOL on all of them! As a mother of 6 and a woman who thinks “no prob, I can do it” I can be frequently accused of all of the above!!
Do you know how many dinners I’ve burned because I’m trying to squeeze in laundry and answering emails at the same time??? How many times I’ve forgotten the camera to an important event because I’m on the phone with someone for another appointment after the event, packing the diaper bag, and trying to get dressed at the same time?
Something’s gotta change though because as no matter how much I attack a mess, there’s always another mess created simultaneously… So I would say I am a multi-tasker… Just not a very good one!! ;p
MTD completely describes me. I’m most famous for filling the slow cooker with a tasty meal to get a head start on dinner…and then forgetting the part about turning it on.
I’m not sure that I want to use the bathroom more often. Then I will just feel the need to clean it more often while thinking that my daughter needs a bath and I need to run to the grocery store to get more toilet paper……etc.
Being a mom is like completing a triathlon every day!
-FringeGirl
#3 and #7 have me doubled over! TOO true! I am also notorious for finally getting control of the remote (which never happens) and sitting down to my favorite show at night. When the first commercial comes on, I get up, start doing something, and completely forget about the show I was dying to watch – only to remember hours later. Ridiculous.
Sorry, can’t think of a funny multi-tasking story but then, I don’t have kids. Still trying to picture how you did number 4–very risky carrying coffee with a laptop.
Visiting from SITS. Merry Christmas!
I used to be a multi-tasker until I got pregnant. Now, it’s dangerous for anyone around me (including myself). My brain doesn’t seem to function as well and I should avoid it until after the baby is born. 🙂
Crusin the SITS Link Up while sipping coffee, thought I’d stop by here, I’m glad I did. I think you were talking about me!!! Thanks!
I’m a major multi-tasker and it drives my husband crazy.
Oh, well 🙂
Goodmorning
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