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[Posted: 04/05/07]
Of Mothers &
Multi-Tasking
by Chris Durst
Like
most moms, I wear many hats. I am the CEO of Staffcentrix, co-author of
The
2-Second Commute, Director of Research for The Rat Race Rebellion, lead
trainer, daughter, sister, friend, and, most importantly, the mother of
two
teenagers.
Today’s
typical mom is a consummate multi-tasker – sweeping the kitchen, making
lunches, paying bills, checking homework, and kissing boo-boos, all on
her way
out the door to go to work.
As
productive as we are, I worry that we’re so convinced that the best way
to “do
it all” is to do many things at once, that we risk losing sight of the
beautiful moments from which we draw our energy and our “purpose”.
The
biggest “ah-ha” moment often comes when a mother slows down long enough
to
realize that the “little people” who wear her out are the very same
ones from
whom she draws her strength, will, and purpose. Once a mom recognizes
this truth,
it becomes clear that multi-tasking through the moments she has with
her
children benefits neither mother nor child.
In
the training programs we deliver to the so-called “trailing spouses” of
the US
Department of State and the US Armed Forces, we have a “Realities &
Readiness” segment in which we caution parents about self-imposed
burnout,
and the impact it can have on their family, their career, their
personal
relationships, and themself.
We
often ask our participants…
If
you are speaking on the phone while you dry your child after her bath,
can you
really focus on her warmth and the wonderful scent that can only come
from a
fresh scrubbed child?
If
you are picking up toys and clothes while tucking your children into
bed, will you
miss the
deep and loving look that can only exist in the eyes of a child ready
for sleep
and feeling safe?
Is
a sock-free floor worth missing that special look? That feeling?
Our
busy lives are a series of events – most of which are quite ordinary
and easy
to fold into other events for the sake of streamlining.
But
this begs the question; do you really want to streamline your child’s
childhood?
I
encourage you to break the multi-tasking habit
when you are involved in intimate moments with your children. The moments of
bliss that replace the moments of “accomplishment” will fill your
"energy
well" and keep you going strong and purposefully forward.
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Rat Race Factoids
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Work
From Home Scams
There
is a 42-to-1 scam ratio among "work from home" ads on the Internet, and
that is not counting the ones that arrive as spam in your inbox. [Read
our press release on this statistic.]
Average
Annual Vacation Days by Country:
United
States...........13
Japan...............25
Canada...............26
UK............28
Brazil..............34
Germany...............35
France................37
Italy.................42
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