Hopefully this Wednesday finds you feeling like the weekend is super close and coming fast, instead of far away and out of reach. Don't worry, Friday is coming, it always does. And while it might be pay-day Friday for some of you lucky ones, for me, it is RECYCLING Friday!! After spending 2.5 years in Colorado Springs where the city didn't offer recycling, I get super excited about dragging my bright purple recycling bin out to the street every other Friday.
Happy Friday, Mother Earth. -Love- The City of Denver.
Ok, back to the topic I am wanting to write about today: multi-tasking. Some of you might feel as though this is a dirty four syllable word that haunts you and causes your cortisol levels to rise. Or, you might be in the strangely energized group who feels as though you simply aren't 'living up to your potential' if you aren't driving your car, drinking coffee, putting on makeup, and checking emails at the same time.
For me, my multi-tasking abilities have always been severely compartmentalized. Perhaps it's because I spend so much time living in the right side of my brain, I just tune the rest of logical world out. My favorite Painting Professor once asked me if I knew why my time in the studio always flew by. I had noticed that 'special effect' but thought maybe it was just the paint thinner getting to me. He said it's because I was so actively engaged with my right brain that things like time and schedules simply slipped away. LOVE IT.
Unfortunately, this also happens when I am in a creative upswing, I am so focussed on the thoughts flooding out of my brain I often honestly don't hear people speaking to me, and I definitely cannot move from one physical task to another without completely losing my train of thought.
In the Land of Cubicles, let's just say, I compartmentalized all multi-tasking capabilities I've ever had, into my project management skills. Answering 200 emails, leading at least 5+ meetings with at least 10+ people in the room or on the phone, and knowing exactly what was happening with each of my projects at the same time...I rocked it. I thrived on it, it made me feel productive.
Those wicked multi-tasking abilities have gotten me decently far in my chronologically short career path, and now I am in a role where I have had to kind of de-program some of that 'multi-tasking=productivity' mentality. I truly believe that one well laid out email or timely phone call could take the place of 200 of my emails in my last position. Instead of measuring my success by the number of people I have kept in the loop and the number of deadlines I have hit, I am now trying to understand the concept of 'customer delight' and what I can do to engage constituents on a deeper and more relational level with my organization.
Talk about innovation and creativity, you might as well just put the paint brush back in my hand because my right brain is now going through boot camp! I am sure my multi-tasking skills will morph as I get further into this new position. So there will definitely be more on this topic in the future.
Time to change the laundry.
Haha! I loved this :) I am so excited for you and your new position. You will rock it!
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