Multitasking and Your Health

You might be wondering what Multitasking has to do with your health, but it very connected to a healthy lifestyle. In reality, as a mother you are always multitasking because you are always doing something AND watching a child. Many of us have the ability to do a large number of things simultaneously yet effectively. This is something either comes naturally or with practice but it can have some positive and negative benefits.

Pros to Multitasking

1. It can actually keep your mind sharp. Multitasking requires dynamic thinking skills as well as the ability to adapt quickly. These are both important aspects of keeping your brain constantly working and therefore staving off the possibility of deteriorative disorders that come later in life.
2. It can help you stay in shape. But juggling tasks both literally and figuratively, you are keeping your body in motion, which is always a positive thing. Sedentary living it the start to obesity for just about everyone.

Cons to Multitasking

1. Sometimes we spread ourselves a little too thin, which can result in unnecessarily adding stress to our lives. Stress is just never a good thing as it can affect our sleep patterns, our heart health as well as our healthy living choices – especially with respect to our diets.
2. You can also “run yourself into the ground” physically by taking on to many tasks. You still need down time, no matter what you do, and no just sleeping doesn’t count. You need some time each day to be awake and alert while not being in constant motion. The most obvious times to do this are either first thing in the morning or last thing before bed.

When to Multitask and When Not To

There will be lots of opportunities to multitask. You do, however, need to be wise about what tasks you choose to do simultaneously. You can almost always get away with returning phone calls, checking emails and nursing a baby to sleep all at the same time. However, it is not a bright idea to cook bacon while consoling a teething child in your arms. It is important to understand that there are many things that require your undivided attention – monitoring your children at the park, listening to your 7 year old recite the pledge of allegiance for the first time, driving, and bathing your children. While other things can be done more efficiently when done together – cleaning your bathroom sink while brushing your teeth, folding the laundry while reading a book to your children and cooking dinner while listening to your 7 year old recite the pledge of allegiance for the 64th time. One of the most important things I can tell you about multitasking is that you should only do it when you have mastered the tasks involved. You should not be trying something new while doing something else. If there is a chance at a big surprise when one thing doesn’t go as planned you don’t want to have a domino effect on the rest of your jobs.

So how do you choose wisely? Here are some good guidelines:

 • Never multitask when someone could be hurt – be logical on this one. I know that there is always a chance that injury can happen but think big picture here. If you are playing catch with your son, you probably shouldn’t be reading a book too.

 • Always multitask similar activities – return phone calls, while returning emails.

 • Identify the level of importance each task holds in that instance – if timing is of the essence, then get that task done completely first before you move on to another task.

 • Recognize when you are ready to add tasks to your résumé – if you have mastered a skill, find something to combine it with.

 • Decide if less than perfect is acceptable before you multitask – it is often an unavoidable bi-product of multitasking.

 • Limit the amount of multitasking involved when your children are the ones in want or need of your attention

 • Don’t juggle more balls than you can effectively handle.

 You will notice that I didn’t give a whole lot of specific examples. Every one of us is different, we have our own strengths and weaknesses as well as to-do lists. You have to identify what you are good at and what needs more focus. You have heard the expressions “I could do it with my eyes closed” and “I know it like I know the back of my hand”. Tasks that evoke this sort of confidence in you, are things that likely can be multitasked.