Multi-tasking mistakes

MULTI-TASKING MISTAKES.

I previously wrote a rhyme 
about my multi-taking time,
when MT was up and coming
so, for me, it was my thing,

I would never question whether
doing several things together 
might be a risky thing to do
but then I did not think it through.

I’d happily do many tasks 
until one day mistakes unmasked 
the folly of this false mindset
and consequences we beget.

My change of mind came with the fact
that  doing many things might act 
as a motivating trap
and a means to a mishap.

I do not wish to dramatise, 
but it will come as no surprise
to those with stomas to care for
that we should not be doing more.

For if your concentration drifts,
the chances of a mishap lifts
and this can drop us right in it
and land us in a heap of shit.

We learn by our experience
and this can make a difference,
as  doing one thing at a time 
saves ending up in muck and slime.

To avoid things going wrong 
and covering me with shit and pong,
I now  only focus on
the task at hand and sine qua non.      (necessary)

                                                B. Withers 2023

 

Hi Bill, I never liked the idea of multitasking and was always at loggerheads with my supervisor over it. My job was to test electronic parts but also to inspect for cosmetic defects, which slowed down the testing. When there were large orders of parts, it seemed like you would never complete the order.

Hello Ron. 

I think that many workers are put in similar positions. I used to use an adapted common saying for my bosses: " A man's got to  do - what a man can do!" And often I would add another adaptation from the Cheshire cat speech in Alice in Wonderland.  '"No more, no less!"

Many of my colleagues suffered from anxiety and exhaustion trying to multi-task at the behest of people who hadn't a clue about what we do., or how we do it.
Best wishes

Bill

What do you say to someone with ADHD? 😉

Hello!
Thank you for your question, which is quite valid, but unfortunately, is a much more complex subject than being able to multi-task or not. Some of the symptoms of young people with ADHD is that they cannot concentrate or focus on any one thing for very long. Therefore, it follows that they would not be able to multi-task in the same way that people without the condition might be able to. They are more likely to simply switch from one thing to another, leaving the previous activity behind.
In previous professional work, my techniques for entering a communicative interaction with someone with this condition was to try to accept that they were likely 'skip' from one subject to another without prior warning, and simply join them (or keep up with listening to them) in each new concept they raised. 

Interestingly, over the years the psychiatric profession has had various labels for this phenomenon including 'disjointed thinking'; sometimes schizophrenia; and  often 'personality disorder'. 
My approach to communication involved what I called 'constructive conversations', which in effect, encouraged and enabled them to talk to themselves (constructively) without much( if any) input from myself. (except for an abundant amount of non-verbal interaction to encourage them to continue).  Within these 'constructive conversations' it did not really matter if the subject matter changed suddenly, as the flow of conversation continued in whatever way they wished it to. 
 I could rabbit on for hours about 'constructive conversations' and have written more than five volumes on the subject. What I particularly enjoyed was post conversation, when I analysed what had been said and composed rhymes to reflect as accurately as possible the concepts covered. I then gave copies of these rhymes to the people concerned and asked them if they fairly represented what they had communicated to me.  Almost always the response to the rhymes was positive and I put this down to the fact that, not only were they were a form of mirror-image for the participant, but the rhymes were 'proof' that I had been listening empathetically and following their conversations closely enough to capture them in verse. 

I called this technique 'inverse-feedback', which, needless to say, was not always acceptable to my employers at the time, but the participants loved it!    

The rhyme in this particular post is exploring the concept of 'NOT' multi-tasking. Whereas the previous rhyme and one or two rhymes yet to be posted are more about being able to achieve this end.   
Another aspect which occurs to me in regard to your question, is that: what I might say (or not say)  to someone with ADHD, may be different to what I might say to a 'carer' of someone with this condition.
Best wishes

Bill