Google "multi-tasking doesn't work" and you will get more than 53 MILLION results!
Ever feel out of control or overwhelmed and don't know what to do? I have two stories for you about some great people that I know.
One is about a married couple that I know. When the woman is feeling overwhelmed and has too much to do, she starts to attempt to multi-task. What her multi-tasking looks like to her husband is her flying around the house from place to place, and turning around in circles. He's coined a term for what happens as the "circle dance". It's now obvious to him that she is stressed when she is doing the circle dance so he steps in to help, and also tells her to stop circling dancing, as she is not aware that she is doing this to herself. It's a fun way for them to manage the stress.
I personally have learned over time that despite all previous beliefs, I am not a good multi-tasker and found that I do the same thing. The three of us are not alone. Productivity experts will tell you that multi-tasking doesn't work.
The second story is about a wonderfully smart, funny friend of mine that I went on an overseas trip with. Now this woman will be the first to admit that organizing is not high on her list of skills or priorities. As a result of that and her brand new backpack for our trip, there was a bit of drama. See, this friend bought this fantastic backpack that had at least 8 pockets. Since it was new to her, she hadn't developed a system for using it, and ended up putting her items in different pockets each time she packed it up on the trip.
Each day she would get into a minor panic that she had lost her camera, her passport, the room key, her wallet, etc. For several days I participated in the minor panic, and would help her search. Each and every time she located the missing item.
I realised that the minor panic was a bit stressful for me, and wanted to find a way for her to be a bit calmer each day. As a result I created the "10 minute rule" just for her. The rule was that I would not panic with her unless she had spent 10 minutes looking for the item and had not located it. Invariably, she found the item within the 5-10 minutes, so I no longer had to panic.
It's funny, because she went home and told her family and other friends about the rule, and now they all invoke the rule with her.
Think about how you want to use a new bag and work on creating a habit around it's use. You can even put a piece of paper in each pocket telling yourself what you want to store in there until you get used to it.
Do you see yourself in either of these stories? Do you have any coping strategies of your own? Would love to hear from you on our Facebook page, or our blog!
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