One day two years ago, Lisa asked why we think it’s good to multitask, and her question stopped me cold. I couldn’t come up with a good answer.

I’ve given the subject more thought since, and I am boggled at how proud I used to be of my ability to handle two phone lines while thumbing through a file and smoking a cigarette. I think I boasted a few times about those evenings when I helped with homework while preparing dinner, conversing with spouse, and planning my to-do list for the next day.

I have concluded that multitasking is a gauntlet reserved for young adults. They’re stuck with it. They have kids, several jobs, little money to hire help. It’s a good thing they have stamina too.

Multitasking is not a skill. It is a necessary evil. It is a habit that should be discarded as soon as it is no longer required.

But it’s a hard one to lose. There are endorphins that feed it – I can feel them – and make it one of the more addictive conditions we impose on ourselves. I’ve been attempting lately to listen to my voicemail messages without simultaneously checking email or mousing around the Internet. I’ve been trying, at home and at work, to do one thing at a time.

It’s a project.

Attempting not to multitask,
I aimed my effort at one venture till complete.
I focused then in order –
having named a job I jumped on it with willing feet.
I tried to keep both heels upon the floor.
I fought the tendency to cross my legs
and notice while I worked that there was more
to do;
my basket could take added eggs.

I have to concentrate to concentrate.
This project is a marathon for me.
Impatience is my trait –
I hate to wait –
I look ahead and work impulsively
but now I have to hesitate and ask:
remind me why it’s good to multitask?