Racing the eggs … this is my metaphor for trying to do too many things and not really doing a great job of any.
Let me explain.
Most mornings I eat scrambled eggs for breakfast. I beat the eggs with milk, pour them in the skillet and then do my best to get as much of the dishwasher loaded or unloaded as I can before the eggs set.
Multitasking. Great! Right?
Well, here is what happens far too often. I burn the eggs, or I drop a glass, or I put the milk in the cabinet instead of the fridge, or forget to turn on the burner.
One morning though, I realized…this is what’s wrong. I am always “racing the eggs.” It doesn’t matter whether I’m trying to help my daughter Caroline with homework while trying to get dinner on the table and laundry completed, or whether I’m at home or grading papers, answering e-mails, and preparing lessons for work, I just try to do too much at one time and end up not really getting quality work done.
Yes, time is of the essence. Things need to get done, whether it is as a mom or as a teacher, but it always feels like there is not enough time. I am finding, however, that multitasking may not be the best answer for me. I know I am not alone. Many of my sister moms express anxiety over the idea of trying to get as much done as possible by “multitasking.”
With more added pressures and responsibilities in life, the only way to get it all done is to multitask. Right? But do you really have to? What are we sacrificing in order to seemingly get more done? Is it at the cost of a more focused life (or a more focused learning experience in the case of my students)? Maybe.
I used to think that successful people were really good at multitasking. I am not sure I believe this anymore. I think it is more important to be focused — In the moment, as they say. So if I am cleaning the kitchen, then I do not need to be thinking about the lesson plans I need to write — both tasks end up suffering because I was not fully focused on either.
So, I have decided to no longer feel inadequate because I am not great at what the rest of the world terms “multitasking.” I will feel focused, present and accomplished in my roles as mother, teacher, and wife!
Revolutionary, right? Take back your tasks! Get them done, but not at the cost of your sanity!
