I really struggled to decide on the title for the latest addition to my blog’s “Work-Life Balance Profiles” series, Adunola’s Story, “Multitasking Mastery: A Seamless Work/Life Blend”. Really I wanted to add a question mark: “A Seamless Work/Life Blend?”, rather than “A Seamless Work/Life Blend”.
But then I thought, that’s my question mark, not Adunola’s. And it’s her story I’m telling.
Despite the relentlesness of her routine, Adunola possesses a notable peace of mind: “I am happy with the way I am doing things. I don’t feel guilty at all“, she says. This seems to be possible because of Adunola’s contentment for the lines between her roles as “professional” and “mother” to be intrinsically blurred, with little room for anything else in between. It wouldn’t suit everyone, of course. But for Adunola, that’s the perfect balance.
The blog post on Adunola’s story provoked quite a lot of comments about multitasking. The majority of them referred to it negatively…
“Multitasking means that neither task gets done effectively, neither get your best”.
“I know I’m better at both work and parenting when I’m fully present in the moment”.
“Psychological studies will show that focus creates better productivity”.
“My children start to act up for attention when I’m on my phone multitasking instead of giving them my undivided attention. Boundaries are important”.
Some people pointed to studies that focus on the health detriments of multitasking, like this one:
Trying to multitask produces changes in the brain that can cause depression, anxiety and actually decrease productivity.
The human brain cannot actually give its full attention to two tasks at once. Instead, it toggles back and forth between the tasks, resulting in neither task getting the attention it deserves. With each switch, there is a loss in performance and accuracy.
Adunola’s perspective, however, was nothing but positive: she felt more balanced multitasking the roles of childcare alongside her work, without having to compromise either one. After a nasty experience with her former employer, being self-employed afforded her that freedom. And multitasking is her way of managing that balance. For her, it’s the perfect blend. She doesn’t feel guilty and she doesn’t think that it has a detrimental impact on her children:
“Everything I work for is for my children; they will understand how hard I am working for them and they won’t remember the time I spend busy on my phone”.
In general, where “multitasking” has been mentioned previously in this blog, it hasn’t been in an exclusively negative way. In the article on Sarah’s Story: Motherhood and the Mental Load, for example, multitasking was described as a technique that enabled Sarah to have both the career and the “busy homely vibe”, that she wanted. She thrived on it. Others, like Jhilmil’s Story: My work, My Identity, however, talked about the guilt that multitasking childcare and work induced. Nadine’s Story: Stay at Home, Mum, gives the example of someone that actively deprioritises “work” in order to create a less intense multitasking environment.
As with all of these things, a person’s approach is wholly individual and not always their preferred option. It clearly doesn’t work for everyone to juggle things as completely as Adunola does all of the time.
But it is near-on impossible to completely avoid doing it these days, with remote working commonplace, and technology accessible at our fingertips.
With the subject of multitasking on my mind, I’ve become much more attuned to when I’m doing it myself. The other afternoon, for example, I noticed some multitasking mastery going on as I was supervising my children, editing my latest podcast on my phone, while also undertaking multiple kitchen tasks (including baking a cake and boiling pasta), as well as responding to numerous text messages and emails. Though chaotic, this didn’t feel like harmful behaviour (bearing in mind work wasn’t in the mix at that point of the day).
I probably could have done each of those things better if I’d given them my undivided attention; but I don’t know if I’d have managed to complete them all had I approached them one at a time.
One comment I received in response to my blog particularly stood out from the rest, with its pragmatic view on the benefits of avoiding multitasking. It said:
“Do less is my advice when it comes to balance. Idle time is generally undervalued”
Idle time is certainly harder to come by these days (though many of us have had a taste of it as a result of Covid isolation periods), and the temptation to allow technology to fill what could potentially be idle time is ever-present.
So, whilst I agree that this is valuable advice, following it may be easier said than done. And doing so also runs the risk of missing out on some of the more interesting and beautiful aspects of work and/or life. Then again, I suppose for some, doing less – and not doing multiple things concurrently – would afford a greater sense of balance.
As with other themes that have emerged through the writing of my blog, it seems that when it comes to multitasking, the simple act of identifying it and recognising it in everyday actions can encourage a more deliberate approach. I.e. if the balance feels right by multitasking then continue; if not, reflect on what could change. There is no perfect work/life blend; just what is right for the individual at any given time.
This is certainly a theme to continue exploring. In the meantime, though Adunola wouldn’t, I think I’ll keep that question mark firmly placed at the end of the heading of this blog post.