When I first started writing this article I was working at my job, trying to eat breakfast and attempting to finish my tea before it got cold. I don't know when I started to knowingly multitask. I think it first started in middle school when I tried to cram eating breakfast, making my lunch, and doing my hair before almost missing the bus every morning. It's amazing how productive your time can be if you do a few things at once. It's an efficient skill to have but do you gain anything from it? Sometimes, I feel like I lose out on more than I get done.

I mean, I barely tasted my cup of tea. I wasn't able to take a deep breath and relax while sipping on my Earl Grey. Instead, I was too busy working so I waited too long to sip it while it was hot so I ended up having to chug it before it got cold. I finished my tea but I didn't enjoy it.

It seems that often times when we are multitasking, we are so caught up in getting everything done at once that we don’t enjoy any of it. How can you enjoy a meal when you're focused on another task in front of you? How can you focus on the task with a bagel in one hand? I was not able to put my best effort into writing because my mind was in so many places at once. Was saving that little bit of extra time really worth it? All I had done was eat a bagel at lightning speed and produce a few paragraphs with numerous spelling errors with an extra half hour to gain from it.

I could have easily worked my schedule around so that I was able to sit at home and enjoy my tea and bagel. I realized that I started to plan multitasking into my schedule to save time, even though I had the time to do each task individually. I didn’t need to do all of those tasks at once, but I had just gotten so used to doing that. I didn’t need to add that stress to myself, but I thought the extra time it could provide would make up for it. Though, I was never happy in those moments, and usually very unhappy with the end results. After realizing that, I tried my best to put my priorities in order and plan to do one task at a time. It’s hard to do but it really pays off, even if you can just separate one task from the others.

Now, I try to relax and enjoy my breakfast. I don’t write a paper, do errands or sit at work with breakfast in one hand. I’ve found that the extra time that I’ve put in was worth it. I start my day off with my mind focused and some great tea.

Multitasking is a great tool to have when it’s really necessary. Our lives are so busy that it has to be done, sometimes. However, w e should keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be our first option. If you have the time or can make the time to put all of your effort into one task, I suggest that you try it! I believe that it can be very rewarding.