Jumping off the Multitasking Merry-Go-Round

As I'm typing this, I'm trying to get my kids in bed, folding a load of laundry, and thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. . .and oh, yes, . . . shopping for a new spring coat at target.com. (Thank goodness for tabbed browsing!)


Yes, I'm a multitasker. I find it difficult to limit myself to doing one thing at a time. I'm addicted to the challenge of trying of eat breakfast, pack my kids' lunches, put on my makeup, and read the paper all at the same time. I find myself getting angry if I'm forced to only do one thing, like when I have to wait in line at the grocery store. I'm desperate for something to do. I start getting jittery. I look at the magazines. I catch up on the latest celebrity gossip. Are Brad and Angelina on or off this week? I organize the chapstick in my purse. I reorganize the groceries in my cart according to size, then type of packaging, then according to if their frozen, refrigerated, or canned.


(Okay, now I'm also checking movie times for this weekend. . .I'm telling you, the guy who invented tabbed browsing should be given the Nobel Peace Prize.)


Where was I? Oh, yeah. . .multi-tasking. . .I can't even watch television without folding the laundry or checking my e-mail. Doing one thing at a time just seems so unproductive. And it's all about getting things done, isn't it?


Lately my kids have been saying things like "Mom, you don't listen to me." Usually it's after I've asked them for the third time what they want for lunch. They told me the first time I asked, but somehow I can't remember what they said. I thought I heard someone talking, but their voice sounded like a fly buzzing in the Grand Canyon of my brain. I was thinking about the groceries I need to buy or the bills I have to pay. Somehow in all the things I had to do, listening to my child ended up low on the priority list.


Then my husband starts talking about the importance of living in the here and now. He's throwing around phrases like "be present in the current moment." Then there was something about "becoming like little children in order to see the kingdom of God." I guess children don't fret about the past or make plans for the future. They just focus on today, right now.


All these things have caused me to start thinking (as I fold, type, and shop online) maybe I'm missing something by trying to do too many things at once. Maybe I should just stop, sit down next to my daughter, look her in the eyes, and listen to her. Just listen and nothing else.


Maybe I'm missing something important by multi-tasking my life away, by never fully giving myself to one thing. Perhaps I'm not really living life the way God intended. My mind goes back to the old Mary and Martha story from Sunday School. Martha was my kind of girl—a born multitasker. I can just see Martha in all her flannelgraph glory, stirring her bowl and wearing a scowl on her paper face. But Mary is sitting cross-legged at Jesus' feet, smiling up at him. He was there, in her house and she wasn't going to miss a minute of time with her Savior.


I think I could learn something from Mary because I have to confess that I'm even guilty of multitasking when I'm trying to read my Bible, or praying, or just trying be quiet and rest in the presence of God. For some reason doing these things just doesn't feel as productive as serving at church or making a meal for someone who's sick. 


It hurts when my children tell me that I'm not listening to them. I've decided to be more aware of what I'm doing when they are talking. As much as possible, I want to stop and give them my full attention, to reign in my crazy brain so that I can be fully present, savoring the moment. 


It hurts to think about Jesus telling me that I'm not listening to him. Am I scared of what he might say if I really was quiet and tried to listen to him? What if I'm missing some of the best moments of my life by not savoring time with Him?


Okay, I'm closing the tabs. The laundry can wait until tomorrow. It's been on my bedroom floor for two days now. One more day of wrinkles isn't the end of the world. 


Wow, it feels kind of good to focus on just one thing.


"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."




andrea stark