multitasking

Thanks to those who have been patiently waiting for their custom-made LJ user icons since last year. I am still gradually working my way through the list of those who signed up. I estimate I've drawn about 70 so far; I should probably collect these and display them all somewhere for fun sometime. Feel free to add your name to the list even if there are more than 50 people listed, but read my preamble in that entry first, and be warned it may take a LONG time (esp. if you want a cartoon portrait), and I reserve the right to decide at anytime that I'm no longer doing them.

Re: yesterday's Blathering. Have to admit I was surprised at how many of you out there had no cable tv, or were purposely keeping the television off more often than not. I had figured that we (and our friends Rand and Parki) were the only mutants. :-)

One difference I'm noticing already is the quiet. Jeff and I were slipping into the tendency to leave the television on as a sort of media wallpaper while we were doing other things in the evening. I'm trying to be careful not to adopt the same habit with radio.

The pressure to multitask seems to be a growing trend. Why focus on only one thing when you can do three? Or better yet, five? Back in my Inkspot days, I used to pride myself on my multitasking abilities. Maximum use of time, I figured, 12 hours a day, weekends too! I not only could handle the juggling of all those china plates with ease, I thrived on it. If I wasn't multitasking, I was unhappy. Restless, irritable, fidgety. Read a book for pleasure? No time!

That's changed. I get far more pleasure now in focussing on one task at a time, and also value my relaxation time all that more. I've found this also affects my preferences for interacting with people; if given a choice, I'd opt for a one-on-one conversation with someone I like rather than multiple conversations in a crowd.

For me, it's part of the whole "embrace life fully" philosophy. Though it's sometimes fun to have a tasting of a zillion interesting dishes, I find it far more satisfying to decide on a one main dish and enjoy it at leisure.

Funny how everything comes down to food in the end, isn't it?

:-)

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