By Jennifer Davis Rash
It has been almost a month since I declared war on multitasking, and so far, so good.
I have slipped back into the old habit a few times, but I recognized it quickly and pulled myself back out.
The effort it takes for me not to live there means I am learning to carefully think through requests before agreeing to them. I must understand the commitment I am making and determine whether I can truly take it on.
I don’t like to disappoint people, and it seems that is exactly what I’m doing right now as I set boundaries, but I also know myself in that when I commit to something, I give it everything I have.
Of course, that’s also the problem if I’m overcommitted. The intention is always to give 100 percent to the effort, but with too many slices of the pie doled out, the intention doesn’t always result in as successful of an ending as I intended.
So it’s not necessarily an easy transition I’m making, but I’m encouraged by the richness and depth of the new world I am experiencing.
I’ve also been a part of several conversations related to the March 27 Rashional Thoughts column “Move over multitasking; singletasking finally wins out.” It seems I am not alone in this battle. Everyone I talked with related to the examples in some way and shared some of what they are facing.
We all expressed a desire to make sure we make the most out of each day.
So as I continue to learn to singletask, I’m strategically working to ensure I am consistently redeeming the time, even when that means making time for proper rest or recreation in which I’m completely there in mind as well as body.
A new friend of mine depicted a good example of redeeming the time recently when a group of Baptist communicators were embarking on a day trip. When he learned the trip was four hours round trip, he hurried back to his room to grab a graduate studies book.
I teased him about how awful it would be to spend the time getting to know his new friends and that he should definitely get the book, but in reality, he was wise. He could still take some time to socialize and then spend the rest of the time studying. It was a smart way to redeem the time.
Another idea is to keep information needing read or reviewed with you for times you are waiting or flying.
If you are responsible for taking minutes during a meeting, then schedule an appointment with yourself right after the meeting to prepare and finalize the minutes rather than waiting until later to do them. You will be able to knock them out in half the time because they are fresh and you won’t have the pressure of writing them hanging over your head.
Take 10 minutes to think through all the errands you need to run this week and group them according to similar sides of town or in order of how they fall on your route.
Fold laundry while watching TV. Do leg lifts or stretches while talking on the phone (if it is a casual conversation, probably better to stay totally focused if it is a professional conversation).
What about doing something else besides strictly driving and focusing on the vehicles around you on road trips? Obviously talking on the phone, texting and plugging in coordinates on the GPS shouldn’t be done while driving. But is listening to a sermon podcast or the Bible on CD redeeming the time or multitasking?
In a brief Internet research on the topic I found differing views. Some say driving is one of those tasks that requires our full attention. Others say it would be similar to folding laundry while watching TV. The verdict is still out for me. What do you think? And what are other ideas of redeeming the time? Send them to me.
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Rashional Extras
Ode to Sunday mornings…
By Darla Morrison Brown
Rainbow City, Ala.
As the girls were getting ready, the essence of urgency was real … it sounds like a backstage fury, but it is only our family headed to church.
In the parking lot of the church, we squeal tires as we come to a stop and all five of us pile out adjusting clothes, brushing off crumbs, fluffing hair and grabbing Bibles and a coffee cup.
Ill-tempered we rush to our place of worship to greet all the other families who have the same look of frustration and stress on them as well.
I know our Father is touched by our priority we place on Him as we tumble into classes late with minds flashing of all we have been through this morning and all we have to do on this day of rest. How very merciful He is to lavish love on us, while we busy ourselves with trivia instead of putting all that energy into praising Him, teaching our children about His love and being available for others.
Even though in the Bible days they didn’t worry about makeup and red lights, Jesus still saw lives filled with doing the extravagant and unnecessary.
He even had to sneak away from His full life just to pray. How much more can we as mere men benefit from being still and seeking God daily?
The Daily 10 Before 10 AM
By Bryan Gill
www.bryangill.com
I am more productive when I accomplish more before noon. (Thank you Captain Obvious, right?) But seriously, I feel like getting a jumpstart on my to-do list is like priming the pump for the rest of the day. I keep a running to-do list on my desk calendar at all times. Lately I’ve noticed that the same things keep popping up. So I came up with a list of 10 things to do before 10 a.m. Take them. Use them. Try to implement them into your ministry. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me.
- Read one thing related to my ministry field or culture
- Read two chapters in the Bible
- Email three local pastors/ministers
- Contact four alumni or church members just to catch up
- Schedule five relevant social media posts for the day
- Have a six-minute nonwork/ministry conversation with at least one of my work/ministry peers
- Review my calendar seven weeks out
- Identify eight goals for the day
- Determine what needs to be done in the next nine days
- Spend 10 minutes in prayer for those involved in my ministry
Regarding multitasking (topic of the March edition of Rashional Thoughts), I don’t think that is what Christ demonstrated for us. He had a single-mindedness about His life goal and did one thing at a time very well. Although Jesus seemed to operate single-mindedly on doing one task at a time very well, God our Heavenly Father is the incredible multitasker of the universe. He multitasks so we can singletask. Trying to make ourselves “like God” in this way without His capabilities is doomed to fail miserably.
Bob Cosby, M.D.
Birmingham, Ala.
“God can take a mess and make it a message. What the world throws away, God can give purpose.”
Scott Stapp
Christian singer
Craig S. Keener, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Asbury Theological Seminary
God’s promises
Hold My hand, and never falter.
Focus on Me, and walk on water.
With little faith you can move a mountain.
For eternal life drink from My fountain.
The valleys are deep, and the roads are long.
Grab My hand when you can’t hold on.
The hills are steep and tough to climb.
You will grow weary over time.
The journey is hard and will beat you down.
You will feel lonely when no one’s around.
You will want to give up and quit trying.
You will often wonder why you can’t stop crying.
It’s not easy, but it’s going to be worth it.
In the end you will be made perfect.
Keep pressing on with your head held high.
Force a smile and dry your eyes.
Remember the promises that I’ve made.
You will be with Me some day.
Until then keep going strong,
and use My strength to carry on.
Emily Shay
Maplesville, Ala.
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