The only ‘real’ New Year’s resolution I had this year was to be more mindful of the present. I found that I was doing so much multi-tasking, that I wasn’t doing anything as well as I’d like. With one foot in another place, there’s so much less satisfaction in a job well done. Several of the blogs that I love all began talking about this at the same time, which is kinda a weird thing. Maybe it’s a revolution. A reaction to the fragmented way our society works. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one feeling this.
Don’t get me wrong…my job requires me to multitask regularly and I’m good at it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about checking my phone for new email/tweets/posts while watching TV with my children, or at meeting… surfing or working on my laptop as “downtime” to relax before bed with the news on. The pull of the electronic umbilical cord is oh-so-strong.
And it’s not a bad thing, necessarily. As a single mom and an extrovert, I NEED the social end and the connection to others that these networks provide. The relationships that are enhanced by these tools feed me. But it’s also very very easy to sucked into things that don’t feed me and loose track of time.
So I resolved to stop it. And I’ve been doing really well for the most part. Particularly during this season of Lent (I gave up Facebook). Here is what I found:
There are a few things I really really miss. But far fewer than I thought I would. Resolved: When I log back on, I’ll be adjusting my friend list and my alerts accordingly.
I really really really like Twitter. The quick bursts of what people are up to really seems to keep me connected. Resolved: I will tweet more and not just absorb other people’s tweets. Lurking be gone, I want to enter the conversation, not just watch it.
I LOVE Google reader. Subscribing to the blogs of the people I care about is a much better method of keeping track of them than FB profiles.
I really like Tumblr as a method of blogging. I can do it from anywhere and I like other people’s Tumblr blogs. It helps me be specific about my sharing and my reading. Both things that are missing from FB. (I wish commenting/discussion was more elegant, though)
Focussing on only one project at a time at work is incredibly rewarding and I feel like I’m doing a much better job. It’s cool. Multi-tasking is WAY over-rated. I’m of course talking about office related stuff, not in the moment stage managing. Multi-tasking in the auditorium is like breathing. There’s no way around it and you’d simply die if you didn’t. 🙂 But I find that keeping it to a minimum during the week when I have a choice makes me much better at it on the weekends. Interesting.
Thoughts?
The Production Copy 