Multitasking - specific ways it can be effective or not. PART 1

Photo by Timothy K. Hamilton

This is an excerpt from a book I am currently writing the working title of which (for today, it keeps changing)is Joy, Creativity, and Fulfillment   Subtitled: The possibility of transforming our lives.  I am qualified to write this because my life has been such a mess that transformation is the only way out.  I'm not an expert in transformation, but I know that I cannot change, but only transformed, by a Power much higher than myself, and in connection with a group of other people who share similar goals of transformation (not change).  I am a work in progress, and I'm guessing you are too, so we have a LOT in common. And though I'm sharing things that I have realized, experienced, or discovered, those of you who know me know that indeed, I have only taken as yet very minute steps in a process I intend to continue my remaining life on Earth.  Your transformation and mine can really only take place in a community.  A committed group  supporting each other as allies in the quest.  Friends and Lovers, and Allies who accept

• the possibility of enough self-awareness to give up the denial of our faults, 
• the possibility of enough Love for forgiveness of the evil we have done, 
• the possibility of restoration to a state of Pure Love,
• and the Joy of becoming more like our Father in Heaven.

MULTITASKING

Multitasking as it is generally practiced is highly overrated, not just in my opinion, but substantiated in several scientific studies.  Before you click on the links at the bottom that  are just footnotes for that statement, though, I'd like to share my insight and experience of multi-tasking:  What is possible, what is not.  The next excerpt (post to this blog) is about what are effective ways to multitask and stay on top of having several things you are trying to accomplish in a given day.  If you want the "executive summary",  you will have to wait several days, and keep coming back to visit.

First, let me give an example:  You probably have seen on some TV show a person who can spin 30, 40 or even more plates at a time on top of long, flexible rods.  How does he do it?  By alternately going to the two that need the most care to keep spinning and spinning TWO of them.  The fact that God, or evolution, if you prefer, gave us two arms is a hint.  We have two ears and only one mouth, suggesting that we should listen twice as much as we talk.  In a similar way, our brains are wired to be able to work with two things since cave man days.  One hand to hold the stone, the other to chip it into an hoe or arrow head.   So, generally for manual tasks, there is typically one thing we can accomplish at a time. Unless you can ride a unicycle and twirl a baton at the same time, which only comes with extensive, deliberate practice.   (I may expand on this in another post).  Notice too, that when both hands are involved, one hand is often the active hand and the other the proverbial "helping hand".  Usually we utilize our primary hand, depending on whether you are right or left handed, to do the task that requires the most skill.  Think about what your other hand does when doing a few tasks today, and just notice and be aware of how this works. 
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule.  In fact, the only rule to which there are no exceptions is the rule that there always are exceptions to a rule. . . ;-) I thought that up myself just now.

For now, until tomorrow or my next post, try to think of and write down some of the exceptions that come to your mind.  Let's compare notes tommorrow, and all comments and suggestions are welcome.

3 year-old in South St. Louis dies of gunshot.

I live in a very racially diverse area of St. Louis. My neighborhood is one of the top 15 (I have read) places in the USA where people from other countries are re-located to get a good start.

My neighborhood is a mix of African America, Serbian, Bosnian, Russian, Vietnamese, and more recently, Sudanese refugees who have the enormous good fortune to be allowed into a country with as much wealth and opportunity for a better life. People around the world know this. That's WHY we have so many who want to become Americans.

I love my neighborhood, and the diversity it contains.

Today, though, a particularly gruesome and in fact deadly event occurred. You can read the details for yourself by following the link, if you wish.
A three-year old shot himself to death. Here's how close he was to our home, 1/5 of a mile according to Google maps.

Why did this horrible thing happen? Well, let's work backwards and see:
1) Brandon Tate pulled the trigger.
2) Brandon got the gun
3) His mother left the gun within reach of a 3-year old
4) His mother bought the gun because she lives in a dangerous, drug-infested neighborhood.
5) We live in a dangerous, drug-infested neighborhood because people use drugs.
6) People use drugs to escape the horrible, depressing reality of their lives.
7) People sell drugs because they can make a TON of money more than they can working at a fast food restaurant.
8) People want to make more money than they can at a fast food restaurant in order to survive and feed their families.
9) People in my neighborhood often can't get a job because they don't have a decent education, which means they either have to work at menial, low paying jobs, starve, work the welfare system, or constantly look for work and be told they don't have enough education - or whatever excuse companies can use.
9a) alternately they can sell drugs, without much education, with no resume or hiring process, and drive around in great cars.
10) African Americans and others in poor South St. Louis areas don't get a decent education for many reasons, but one of them in my mind is the lack of equality.

We pay lip service to Equality in this country all the time. "All men are created equal" "Equal Rights Amendment", and many more examples too numerous for you to care to read.

In reality, people in poor neighborhoods don't have anything resembling equal opportunity.

Tune in tomorrow or the next visit to read about the lack of equality, it's roots, how embedded it is, and some thoughts about how to at least move in the direction of fulfilling our true values as Americans.