Multi-tasking

Day 22

I am writing this post from class. Canadian Social History to be specific. Normally I don’t advocate multi-tasking but desperate times call for desperate measures.

School is starting to pick up: midterms, topic proposals and stories loom. And as I focus more on these assignments, I have begun to slack in other areas: namely laundry and keeping my room in a decent state.

You see, time management is really just math. Twenty four hours in a day divided by all the things that need to be done. So as school work begins to require more hours, there is less room for other tasks on the to-do list. But what if you could cheat? What if you could do two things at once, thereby theoretically increasing the number of hours in a day?

My sister passed on these wise words from a professor: “If you’re doing two things at once, you’re not doing one of them well enough.” And he was absolutely right. I have no idea what is happening in my lecture right now because I am writing this post.

Studies say it is impossible for the human brain to actually concentrate on more than one thing at once. Probably true, but I’m going to keep trying anyway.

As I attempt to manage my time more wisely, there are many decisions to be made. This class, for instance, lost out in the priorities battle because even when I do pay attention I don’t get much out of it.

One thing I won’t sacrifice: my work out. Everyday I see people pumping their legs on the elliptical while their eyes stare at a magazine, or notes from class. And I think ‘What’s the point?’

If I’m going to spend time working out, I am going to see results. And if I’m moving slow enough that I don’t have to wipe the sweat off my forehead before it drips into my eyes, those results are nothing but a faraway dream.