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November 02, 2008
Adrienne vs. Multitasking… ROAR! ADRIENNE WINS!!!
Contrary to the image I think I project, I’m not a very good multitasker. I can be very efficient, and I get a lot done, but I tend to do it by focusing on one thing at a time. If there is a television on in a room, for instance, I can’t seem to concentrate on anything else. I generally read books in a day or two, mostly because I’ll just keep reading the darned things until they’re done. I’m at my happiest when I’m immersed in something. If I spend too much time thinking about the big picture, I just freak out.
I’ve always been like this, but I note that I’ve gotten more so since my husband died. For a long time, I’d get really cranky from time-to-time and not be able to understand why, but I came to realize that part of it was having a really low tolerance for a lot of things going on. I’ve been trying to cope with this in a lot of ways, one of which is making sure I’m not overloading my schedule, but what I have noticed about life is that you cannot control it, no matter how hard you try. So this week, I had the deadline for getting my materials ready for my homeschooling workshops, Halloween, Lucas’s birthday, Jason’s knee surgery (which not only involved a scary hospital visit but also doing all five of Jason’s storytimes in addition to my one this past week), and two presentations looming this week coming up.
At the beginning of the week, I looked at the big picture, and I freaked out.
But you know what? I did everything. I started to freak out a few times, but I stopped myself and ignored the big picture and concentrated on what I had to do NOW and got it all done. I feel like maybe it’s a little step in the right direction.
Books mentioned in a manner one might call willfully obtuse:
Shea, Bob. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2008. (HC: 9781423113355)
Posted by adrienne at November 2, 2008 09:07 PM
Comments
GO YOU! *cheers*
Posted by: Little Willow at November 3, 2008 02:23 AM
"I started to freak out a few times, but I stopped myself and ignored the big picture and concentrated on what I had to do NOW and got it all done."
Hey! You just described writing a novel. Except that a few freak-outs are allowed. Just a few.
Posted by: Sara at November 3, 2008 05:24 AM
Best. post. title. of. the. year.
Posted by: jules at November 4, 2008 06:58 PM
Sara, I do have little freak-outs whenever I'm working on a writing project. I always have these moments where I think, "This is insane. There's no way I can do this. Why am I even trying?" Then I remember that it's kind of a compulsion.
Jules, I've been reading Dinosaur vs. Bedtime in my storytimes the last couple week, which means I've read it, eh, about six times, which is how I got this whole, "ROAR! ADRIENNE WINS!!!" thing stuck in my head.
Posted by: adrienne at November 4, 2008 10:16 PM