Annabelle inspecting the plastic birthday cake…

I’ve always been a bit of a multi-tasker. Working in a Corporate environment for so many years that increasingly demands (er, uh, requests) more to be done in less time has fanned that tendency in me. And while I have always viewed this as an asset, I’m also realizing that it’s highly annoying at times.

Case in point:

Over the last two days, I’ve –

* Started to clean/organize Annabelle’s room
* Torn apart my bedroom closet to organize it
* Started to organize all my pictures/scrapbook supplies
* Gotten out boxes of Scott and I’s clothes to sort through
* Started to clean out the garage
* Begun to collect Annabelle’s too-small winter clothes for the consignment shop
* Started a project for my former employer client that they want done by *gulp* next week
* Started editing an older book that is completed/unsold
* Started laundry

Now that she’s confirmed that its not food… she eats it!

Notice all the “started”‘s?

The only thing that has been COMPLETED in the last two days is the hanging of a coat rack that my father-in-law did for me today so I could organize the front entry way.

And the only reason that is done is that someone else did it for me!

I’d probably get more done if I worked on one thing at a time. Yet…my multitasking nature is also helpful at the same times. Any Momma of multiple children knows that it is a fine art to make dinner while helping one kid with homework and diffusing a fight between two others, all the while watching wheel of fortune and solving all the puzzles before the contestants.

Here is my goal: Tomorrow, I’m going to try and get ONE THING DONE. Okay, fine, maybe two. Actually, three… urgh, no TWO, Krista. But, really, I want to FINISH something completely. *stomp foot* I WILL finish something.

It feels good, though, to have the energy to work on things around the house again. I think that’s why I started so many things, because I have a billion things I’ve been wanting to get done, but not a lot of time/energy with which to accomplish.

I guess, when you think about it, it IS better to get 20% done of ten things than to get 100% done of zero things…

And that, my friends, is justification at its finest!

Discussion: Are YOU a multitasker… or are you a “finish-what-I-started”er? If you are the later… can you come to my house and help???????

Annabelle Update: She’s doing great! On oxygen only at night. Still has a junky cold but is handling it well. Isn’t eating at ALL anymore though, so that is a frustrating step back. We put eating aside last week while I was sick, and I think between the “break” and her being clogged up, eating is not appealing to her. I do sit her down at her highchair 3 times a day though and attempt. And next monday we start feeding therapy, so I’m praying this helps as well!

Big sister shared her bracelet and clip-on ice-cream earrings!

Annabelle is a sitting up fool now. She goes from laying down to sitting up in 2 seconds flat, and does it over and over and over. She LOVES having her cast off too. I predict crawling will be in our future in the next month or two!!

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7 Comments

  1. Since little miss doesn't want to really eat, maybe try a snack while in the high chair, called Baby Mum-Mum. It's like a small rice cake that disolves when it goes in their mouth. The little one we watch loved them and so did my nephew.

  2. She's a sweetie! Glad you included the pictures.

    I am a multitasker – but some things just aren't done well this way. I'm just realizing this lately. lol My goal is to get several projects out of the way this week. If I finish, I will come and help you…I would for real if we lived closer! 🙂

  3. I'm more of a finish-what-I-started kind of girl. But again, if taken too far, even that can be a bad thing. I have an illness called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and if I over-do it, I pay big-time with severe fatigue and mild flu-like symptoms. Because of CFS, I also get over-done very quickly. So if I'm in the middle of cleaning the bathroom or mopping the floors and I start to feel worn down, I SHOULD stop and rest. But not miss finish-what-she-started! Instead I finish that task, sometimes add another task (and finish it) and then crash for the next week unable to do much of anything. So we all need to find balance, I suppose 🙂

  4. 100% of zero? LOL! Love it!

    And that first picture is priceless, btw.

  5. Love the Annabelle pics. Glad to hear that she is doing well.

    I try to multitask but end up in the same boat as you. I'll have a whole list of things that I've started but that aren't completed. I'm always telling my boys to finish what they start before they move on to something else. I think I need to take my own advice.

    But I guess I would have to say that in the end, it is all about balance.

  6. I'm glad Annabelle is doing so well. She looks great–and happy. That's a testimony to her loving family, including her dear mommy who is doing an amazing job.

    Dear Krista, while I admire your desire to accomplish great things and tackle impressive To-do lists, I hope you can rest in the knowledge that you're doing what's most important. You're caring for your family, making a home, and working on your stories. I know you're used to keeping to a schedule at work, but running a home has far more unpredictable elements than the workplace. Maybe focusing on what you did accomplish rather than those things you didn't get done will help you overcome feelings of falling short.

    OK, my pep talk is over. I'll end with a cyber hug and an "Atta girl!" because you deserve one. =)

  7. I love your post! Your baby is darling. I've just met you all, but I can't recall how.

    As for organizing for a multi-tasker, I finally had to pick a small task first. Small, as in one drawer or the top of my dresser. I've been following a book titled, "It's Here Somewhere."

    Next I streamlined and organized our master closet and included sorting and storing my too small clothes. Next was my desk, then my very, very messy master bathroom with closet. I knew I was done when I removed the card table I used for arranging my items and storage containers. It had lived in my bathroom for too many weeks.

    I don't have children at home now. Our three and their 11 children live thousands of miles away. I have a wonderful husband and a body that only allows work in short intervals–say one load in wash and one into the dryer, then rest. At rest I knit, mend, hand sew and plan sewing projects and most fun of all, I read.

    I'm happy you are energized. There have been many times I enjoy multi-tasking, even if I don't get as many things completed than I planned. It is a fun way to live, never boring. Prioritizing my spiritual goals and husband's requests and needs help me stay balanced.
    Jesus' blessings to you and your family.
    Linda

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