I was recently reading a very good article on using time wisely from that awesome other inspirational blog, tinybuddha, when I noticed that it stated a contradiction. First, saying one should single-task... and then a few bulletpoints down saying one should double-task. Whah?!
I thought about it for a moment before realizing what it was really saying (please excuse the dead-bird imagery):
Killing one bird with one stone is good. (Single tasking)
Doing one thing at a time, such as enjoying a refreshing beverage, is a good practice. It allows the mind to focus on one thing, take that thing in, and enjoy it fully.
Killing two birds with one stone is good, and possibly better. ("Double" tasking)
Doing one thing that accomplishes two ends is even better as far as making good use of time. Think of playing tennis or chess with a friend (you're maintaining a relationship AND building your skills). Or maybe you invite a neighbor over for dinner (doing a good deed AND eating AND having someone to test your new recipe on-bwahaha)
Killing two birds with two separate stones at the same time is not good. ("Multi" tasking)
(Let me take this opportunity to say that texting while driving is NOT OKAY. I don't want to pull out a statistic (as Mark Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."), but a surprising number of people wind up in the emergency room every year from WALKING while texting. Just don't. Whoever you're talking to can wait.) Multitasking is, simply, doing multiple things poorly at the same time. Not to mention that you can't really enjoy something you're not focusing on.
I encourage you to read the tinybuddha article linked to above for more on making the most of your time! :)
08 March 2010
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