Multitasking: Time-Saver or Life-Taker?

This month, try simplifying your life by getting busy—about one thing at a time.

By Erin Gieschen

Of course, you might not have so much control over the amount of multitasking your boss wants you to do. According to an unofficial CNN.com QuickVote poll, 37% said that at work, they’re asked to do far too much multitasking to the point that they “need eight arms and four legs.” Another 33% felt that expectations to multitask are mounting, “getting worse.”

Multitasking isn’t all bad, though. We’ve been doing it since the beginning (think proverbial mother-stirring-pot-while-holding-baby scenario) and obviously, God designed us with the capacity to do it. Some are blessed to be natural multi-taskers and don’t even feel noticeably stressed while doing eight things at once (and most moms—even those who are naturally terrible at it—become pros by default). But too much of anything tends to be a slippery slope towards unhealthy and even flat-out dangerous.

Consider cell phones in the car. We want to shake our fist at the lady in the swerving SUV with cell in one hand and mascara wand in the other. But then we just have to get that phone call out of the way while driving home, and can’t be bothered with an annoying earpiece. Yet almost 80% of crashes have to do with some form of driver distraction, cell phone usage being one of the most common forms. Even with a hands-free device or on speakerphone, drivers are at four times greater risk of a crash, according to the National Safety Council.

We know it’s dangerous, but it’s just so convenient. I mean, why have a cell phone, then, if you can’t use it while you’re doing something else? Danger just doesn’t seem real until you or someone you love are actually in it.

Grassroots advocate Amy Seager is working to enforce cell phone education and legislation after her twin daughters were killed when a truck driver busy talking on his cell smashed into their stopped car, catapulting them into the train tracks. Patti Pena lost her 2 ½-year-old daughter Morgan to head trauma when a man on his phone ran through a stop sign and broadsided their car at 45 mph—a devastating accident for which he only received a citation and small fine.¹ Such accidents are common, yet we continue to think, It’ll never happen to me.

Of course, the best thing to do is to not answer the phone while driving. But the thought of being momentarily unreachable during an emergency is unthinkable for most parents, and frankly speaking, most people want the freedom to make quick calls. Here are five key ways to simplify the scenario and stay safer on the road:

1. Keep up-to-date on your state’s laws (look them up on the Governors Highway Association online chart) about cell phone use while driving. Many states that don’t yet require hands-free devices still ban drivers under 18 (or even 21) from talking on cell phones at all, and of course, prohibit text messaging (a cause of many teen-related car accidents). Most also take into consideration cell phone usage in the event of an accident, even if you think you weren’t at fault.
2. Take your phone out of your pocket or purse before you start driving. That way you can quickly and easily answer the phone if necessary without having to fumble around for it, possibly missing the call—or missing the turn signal that will save you from being crashed into.
3. Keep an earpiece in your car and get in the habit of connecting it to your phone before you start driving. If you simply refuse to use one (and only if your state allows hand-held use), then at least consider only answering your phone with your right hand—otherwise, you’ll be unable to use your turn signal, thus creating danger for everyone around you.
4. Know your phone and utilize programming. Don’t make calls unless you’ve practiced speed-dialing and can navigate the short-cuts without looking away from the road. If you can use voice-activated commands, all the better.
5. Let callers know you’re driving; don’t assume they can tell. That way they know they don’t have your full attention and shouldn’t expect you to carry on a long or involved conversation. On the flipside, be respectful as a caller when you know the other person is driving and having to multitask to talk with you. Try to keep it short and simple, and always offer to call back later at their convenience if it can wait (and don’t get annoyed when they have to hang up on you to avoid getting hit!).

Multitasking may endanger lives on the freeway, but most of us don’t really stop to think about how it can endanger our relationships if we let it. For the next few weeks, we want to focus on the effect multitasking has on the time you spend investing in the things you value most—your family, your friendships, and your walk with God–and how you can simplify and enjoy more of life by being deliberate.

What’s more important: immediate availability or attention? Check back next week to read about how less might be more in the technological communication department—and how you can make the most of your time when you have to multitask.

¹  To read Patti Pena’s story and her testimony of how she and her husband came to know God through the tragedy, see www.morganlee.org.