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The Perils of Multitasking
Sleep? Who needs it?! You do!!!
“Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours of sleep per night.” ~ Thomas Edison
Brilliant as he was, Edison was wrong about this one. If you identify with his statement, you’re wrong too. And dangerous. And DRUNK.
Drunk? Yep.
Maybe I should explain. Research shows that trying to function on a lack of sleep will give you the mental capacity of a serious drinker. Actually, more like a drunk. Your thoughts will be fuzzy, with no real clarity. You know… like… drunk. Really drunk.
BBC Science recently reported the following findings on sleep deprivation:
“With continued lack of sufficient sleep, the part of the brain that controls language, memory, planning and sense of time is severely affected, practically shutting down. In fact, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (two glasses of wine). This is the legal drunk driving limit in the UK.”
Ouch.
They go on to say…
“Research also shows that sleep-deprived individuals often have difficulty in responding to rapidly changing situations and making rational judgements. In real life situations, the consequences are grave and lack of sleep is said to have been be a contributory factor to a number of international disasters such as Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the Challenger shuttle explosion.”
There you have it. You would never allow yourself to stay drunk on the job, drunk behind the wheel, drunk all the time. At least I hope you wouldn’t.
You should take a serious look at your own sleep deprivation.
Sleep is not a luxury. You were built to require it. It’s time you started paying attention to your need for it. Ignorance is dangerous. So are you if you ignore the warning signs your body and mind are giving you.
I hope this post inspires you to re-think your relationship with sleep… and the get some. As soon as possible.
Have you had a dangerous close call because of exhaustion? What was it?
15 things you should say “no” to!
Just say “no” to:
- Hate
- Sarcasm
- Mocking
- Laziness
- Fear
- Conformity
- Grudges
- Selfishness
- Insignificance
- Ambiguity
- Comparison
- Apathy
- Hamster Wheels
- Ignorance
- Giving Up
(Dis)honorable mention:
- Clowns
- Papyrus Font
- Clip Art
- Dressing your pets
Questions:
What’s something good that should go on our “yes” list???
Why should we add it?
That’s why they call it WORK
“Art begins with resistance – at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” ~ André Gide
If you have been involved in creative endeavors for any length of time, resistance is a familiar foe. He shows up as the accuser, prosecuting attorney and judge in his kangaroo court. Unfortunately, his courtroom is invisible and his words are not heard with the ear.
His courtroom is in your head.
It’s all in your head.
As a creative, you are probably your own worst enemy. The more you pay attention to resistance, the harder it is to start. Or finish. Or work on anything important to you. These mind-games are not limited to the newbie and undeveloped talent. They are a reality with every creative person and present in every creative process. If untamed, they can get louder and more intense no matter how experienced you may be.
Untamed… that’s the key. It MUST be tamed, harnessed or silenced.
Until then, resistance will manifest as procrastination, deflection, obsession with unimportant tasks, blame and self-sabotage. Until then, you will do anything to keep from engaging in the process and shipping your creation. To put it bluntly, you will be in rebellion to the plan, and disobedient to the calling.
You don’t want that.
I agree with André Gide, art begins at the point you overcome the resistance. Minimizing the voice of resistance is probably the most difficult and intense work involved in creating. If you don’t, it’s nobody else’s fault, because it’s nobody else’s battle. You must face and overcome the beast. It’s your beast. However, once you overcome it and get beyond it, there is energy, joy and rest in creating.
You can overcome resistance. You must overcome resistance. It’s worth the work it takes to get there.
“The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11 (The Message)
Umm… about your juggling act…
Let’s face it. If you’re talented, creative and motivated, you will have more opportunity than hours in a day. All of them are probably good opportunities – but are they the RIGHT opportunities?
Clue: everything is never the right thing.
Be selective about the “right” opportunities for you.
I’m not talking about right in the sense of right vs. wrong, but right in the sense of right for you – also right in the sense of “it doesn’t belong to someone else.” There is an ongoing battle we all have with can vs. should. Can is usually only a small part of the equation.
Should is everything.
Ok, so “right” is tied to “should,” but how do you discern both of those in reality? Here is a short list of questions that may help you determine “right” and “should” for you.
Is it an opportunity you have been looking for/waiting to appear?
Is it something that someone else could do at least 80% as well as you? If so it’s probably theirs.
Is there something you are willing to stop to take on the opportunity?
How does it affect your family?
Will it crowd out anything else essential?
Honestly, will seizing the opportunity energize you, or wear you down?
Is the time/money ratio reasonable? Or if volunteering, is the time/reward ratio reasonable?
How would you change this list? How do you keep your life in balance? Leave a comment sharing your criteria. Help us with our juggling acts, too!
Busy Much?
I have questions.
Sometimes the quest for answers uncovers more questions. Not the unanswerable kind, but the ones we avoid because they expose the real issues in our lives. They make us face the music if we stop long enough to let them give us a guided tour of our soul.
The questions I have today are about “busy”ness (not a typo, not business).
Here are a few questions I’ve asked myself today. Care to join me?
1. How busy is too busy?
2. Am I too busy?
3. Am I busy with the RIGHT things?
4. Am I using busyness as an excuse to avoid the RIGHT things?
Ouch… right?
Please, don’t just thank me. Thank Seth Godin. He started it today with this post.
How did you do on this little quiz?
I may or may not tell my grade…
Time
“There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time.” Napoleon I, Maxims, 1815
I long for time. I long for uninterrupted time. I long for uninterrupted time without the screaming “conveniences” that have tried to spin my world into a frenetic, multitasking three-ring circus. That world has attempted to repeatedly and openly declare war on my creativity. I refuse to dignify the threats of that pace. It will not drive me. I will harness that system, own it, and keep it in check at the borders of a quieter, more ordered life.
Almost 200 years ago Napoleon witnessed and warned of the time robbers from a world that by today’s standards was crawling at a snail’s pace. So, by my brilliant deductive skills I can tell that this assault on our time is not new. In fact, the Apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago gave us a strong warning on the same subject:
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Ephesians 5:15-16 The Message
It’s an old war, now waged on a new field. As much as I enjoy my iPhone and the immediate connection I have with the world through Facebook, Twitter, SMS and email apps, it can be used against me. The convenience and intended productivity help in my little wireless assistant can become a source of distraction. My suspicion is many of you are dealing with it too.
I have news for you. Multitasking is not nearly the friend we all thought it was. Recent studies of brain activity have shown that when we devote ourselves to two tasks, we are dividing our brainpower between the tasks -half to one and half to the other. It also takes longer to do each one because of it. Half-engaged is not good enough for anything I have chosen to do. Especially when it comes to God, family and my creative calling.
I am on a quest. A quest for time. A quest for uninterrupted time. I will have it, too. How about you?
