On Words and Business

Multitasking has always been one of those things that puzzles me. Or at least degrees of multitasking, because of course there are times I’m doing more than one thing at once. When I multitask, it’s usually something along the lines of reading a book while boiling water or reviewing email while downloading my bank statements. And on the rare occasions it gets more involved than that, I notice the decrease in my attention span and in my ability to get any of the jobs done well.

So…it’s really the current trend of doing so many different things at once that I find difficult to understand. And the celebration of how cool or important it makes someone to text while speaking to someone, send emails while in a meeting, or make phone calls while driving. And the shocked and pitying looks one gets when admitting to not multitasking as a rule, as if it’s something to be ashamed of.

Apparently…singletasking is back.  Like all trends, it seems the pendulum swung too far in one direction and is now trying to right itself. I, for one, applaud this and hope we can find equilibrium soon.

Anyone watching or listening to the news these days will regularly hear the names of a few countries other than the U.S.  At most about 10 these days, and most of those are in one geographic region.

Yet…there are almost 200 countries on this planet. There are even some places we all think about as countries that are actually territories or colonies. Most of them can easily be added to list of places we never hear about.

195 countries according to the U.S. State Department

192 members of the United Nations

It’s interesting that in this environment, with happenings around the world so important in so many ways, that 95% of the countries in the world and people who live in them are simply invisible to us.

Did you know that this week (June 21-27) is National Lightning Safety week?

When thunder roars, go indoors.

Visit the National Weather Service site and learn all about it.

This is one use for the internet I really appreciate and have fun with–learning about all the obscure or unusual holidays, celebrations, or commemorations.

It’s not that I necessarily hate texting or smartphones or Twitter (although I do prefer my words spelled out fully and I don’t text or tweet or own a smartphone). It’s that I believe the proliferation of communication channels is a detriment to productivity, focus, and just living life. And these tools are just the current addictions.

Thanks to Elaine at MarketingProfs for articulating it so well: Are we too wrapped up in the next big thing?

I’ve captured the original headline as is, because I like it.

Why Twitter will soon become obsolete

I like his case and supporting arguments.

Full disclosure: I do not use Twitter and am a skeptic. Jason Clark, the author of the piece, is a Twitter user.

Finish big project.  Check.

Take care of all the little things I put off while working on big project. Umm…haven’t even started.

Why is it such a challenge to regroup and get focused on the day to day stuff, after spending so much time on just one thing? Maybe it’s just me?

Interesting phenomenon…