Multitasking is overrated

Maybe I just don't have the mental capacity for it all, or perhaps I am just growing into an old fogey faster than I thought, but why does every action people seem to participate in also involve simultaneously doing like 10 other things??

From my observations of others and of myself it seems it is a great challenge to complete simply one thing at a time. My students can not actively listen to me without doing something else, and that something else is usually an electronic device (laptop, ipod, texting) or the ever popular tune-out activity of doodling. I say some pretty clever and entertaining things too and most of it goes right over their heads, not to mention the actual important content and information I am trying to make them injest. Asking them to read a paragraph is the equvilent of quantom physics and don't even get me started on when they get "independent" work time.

I've got my own multitasking addictions to overcome. The tv is always on in the background, some other webpage is out there that is way more appealing than the work I am supposed to be doing, I'm on FB to see if others are bored too and procrastinating, doing a million other things while driving. Those who know me, know I can't finish a book to save my life. Ah, I could go on and on.

I want to enjoy the silence. I want to enjoy each moment for what it is and not all that is crammed around it blurring my vision of what the moment is supposed to be. I don't want iphones at my dinner table while my kids are being well behaved on our night out as a family. Can you still feel my glare for this lame family at Olive Garden last week? I don't want to be able to not shut my mind off or focus it when necessary.

I don't care if it is me watching a tv show, or reading an article in a magazine, or crafting, or talking with people, or spending time with my son...

I just want quality, not quantity.

I know we've all got stuff that needs to be done, but so much of what I see myself and others doing is not being able to give any one task 100% of our time, even if it is just for a little bit.

Case in point...I started writing this post, the phone rang, while on the phone I surfed the net.