I’ve noticed something about myself. When you have a task or tasks to do, do you set yourself down and do one at a time? Or do you rotate among them, starting and stopping as your interest wanes? I’m in the latter category, apparently. I wonder if it’s because of how I work when I’m at work. I work on tickets, jobs, and projects, alternating around, as crisis situations develop, and as high-priority stuff comes in that bumps other, more long-term things, to the side temporarily. Even when I’m working on one set project, I stop frequently to check or answer emails or messages, check the unassigned ticket queue, answer questions posed by people stopping by my desk, get up and go to the bathroom or get a glass of water. I might stop what I’m working on (a more complicated brochure layout, for example) to handle several smaller, quicker jobs, and then go back to the one “I’m in the middle of”.
It seems a bit scattershot, the way I work, but it works really well for me, and I never get bored with what I’m doing, since what I’m doing is constantly shifting and changing. It’s not exactly multitasking, because even though I’m working on several things “at the same time”, I’m actually just rotating from one to the other. They’re not simultaneous, just concurrent.
This past week, I have been working on a jigsaw puzzle, formatting my 2024 blog book, reading, playing iPad games, gathering updates for the Pangborn family tree and address list, cleaning, and working on vacation to-do list items. When I get tired of doing one thing, I stop and move to something else, and so on. Sometimes the impetus is that sitting at the computer makes my shoulder hurt, so I tend to keep stints at those types of jobs shorter. Sitting on the couch reading allows me to rest my knee and put my feet up.
Right now, I am ACTUALLY multitasking more than usual, because I’m both writing this post, AND listening to songs on Spotify Discover Weekly. Once I’m done with this, I’ll either go back to my blog book or take a break from the computer altogether and go read for a bit.
I suppose you could argue that I’m incapable of working consistently on one task at a time or FOCUSING, and to you I’d say yes, that’s probably true, to a certain extent. It’s not that I’m not capable, exactly, but I find that I seem to work better in shorter stints, though at work, I can definitely get stuck in and work only on one layout or project until I’m really happy with it. If it gets in my head, then I don’t want to do anything else until I’m done with it and satisfied.
So, I work better bite-sized, is what I’m getting at. All the things get done, eventually, but this way, I’m not really stressed out about finishing any of them. They get worked on when I feel like it, and that keeps me interested, and happy about the things I’m processing, handling, and doing during my days.
Of course, it’s easier to do this type of rotating when I have all day to do it in, so I see the effects of it much more during longer vacation periods. I have ONE more vacation day (everyone else starts back tomorrow), but I have specific things to do tomorrow, two of which require leaving the house (gasp!). It snowed again last night but it’s been raining all morning, and the temperatures have edged above zero for the first time all week, so it will all most likely melt by tonight.
I’m reaching the end of both this post and the Discover Weekly list. I’ve added 3 songs to my playlist, written 8 paragraphs, and gone to the bathroom to get lip balm and the kitchen to get a drink, and I put the vacuum cleaner away while I was at it. Next up: reading for awhile and maybe a few rounds of Two Dots.
Mood: relaxed
Music: Rose Cousins—The Benefits of Being Alone