As I’ve said, forget multitasking for Andy and me nowadays, but that has always been true for me. I still remember when I was in high school and my mother had asked me if I would cook some hard boiled eggs so she wouldn’t have to do it when she got home from work. Sure, I was happy to help out. So I put the eggs on to boil and started studying Spanish while I waited. Oops! The smell of burned eggs was really bad when I finally noticed it. And I couldn’t air the kitchen out before my mom got home. I still remember her saying,
How could anyone not notice the smell of burning eggs!
I felt bad for my mom and wished I hadn’t made her life even harder, but I was still impressed by how focused I had been. Lesson learned, for the sake of the world, try to stay away from situations that needed multitasking.
For a lark I gave ChatGPT the prompt,
multitasking and me, write short blog post
It answered right away with,
Absolutely! Here’s a short, engaging blog post titled “Multitasking and Me”:
Multitasking and Me
I used to think multitasking was my superpower—answering emails while cooking dinner, catching up on the news while folding laundry, juggling five to-dos before my second cup of coffee. It felt efficient, even impressive.
But over time, I realized something: I was doing a lot, but not doing much well. Conversations felt shallow, tasks got half my attention, and my brain never had a chance to breathe. I was mistaking constant motion for progress.
Science backs this up—our brains aren’t built for true multitasking. What we’re really doing is rapidly switching focus, and every switch comes with a cost: more mistakes, more stress, and less satisfaction.
Now I’m learning the power of single-tasking. It’s not always easy in a fast-paced world, but giving my full attention to one thing at a time feels surprisingly radical—and deeply calming.
Multitasking and me? We’re on a break. And honestly, I think it’s better this way.
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Let me know if you’d like to personalize it more or match it to a specific tone (humorous, reflective, professional, etc.).
“my brain never had a chance to breathe.” Yes, that’s how it felt to me. There have been times in my life when there was too much going on at once — I couldn’t have down time during the day for my mind to process it all. So it took that time in the middle of the night. It didn’t take that time to worry, it took it to sort things out, clean up the mess. So I avoided situations like that the best I could.
Have you ever felt like that?
July 10, 2025
Multi-tasking is difficult. Trying to paint the house I climbed the ladder holding a paint pot in one hand. I ran out of ladder and kept going up until I fell. Gravity does not multi-task!
God bless.
🙂
Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why so many thoughts run through my head when I go to bed at night.
Yes. 🙂
…at times I have trouble walking and chewing gum.
So do I!
Multitasking can be quite the challenge but it is really necessary!
You are clearly a youngster!
Yes, in the past (work life) I have. My heart goes out to those compelled to do so — air traffic control, for instance.
Single-tasking works for me!
I agree with you about air traffic controllers. They can’t afford to make mistakes.
I do multitask, but when I do – I get so stressed.
I do much better and I have more fun and I have less stress when I do one thing well.
Yes!
Here’s to single tasking!
Yes. 🙂
I like multitasking at times, but I do think it keeps me less focused so I am not sure it always makes me more efficient.
🙂
SO, multitasking is for sure not all it’s cracked up to be!!
🙂
I had set my life up so that multitasking was unavoidable. I look back and wonder why I would do that. These days sometimes single tasking is beyond me!
I know. At a certain point we have no choice. 🙂
As I’ve aged, multitasking has become more difficult. I’m fortunate that my life is more simplified now and it just doesn’t matter much anymore.
We have purposely simplified our life too.
Our brains seem to require more thinking time nowadays. We’ve been known to pause a mystery program in the middle to figure out what we actually know so far before resuming.
We can relate to that!