Chronic Multi-tasker Woman vs One-task-at-a-time Man

VS

I’m a chronic muli-tasker. Seriously, I’m at my happiest when I have 100 different things going on at once. I am goal orientated and I juggle everything (and plough through anything in my way) to get to my goal. On the other hand, I happened to be married to a task oriented, one-task-at-a-time man. This has caused — ah — many — ummm — areas of — what would you call it — discussion in our marriage.

One day, I tried to explain to him what was goes on in my mind at one time. *WARNING* this may be frightening to men out there. So here goes:

I have a brain-check-list in my head. I’m sure if you opened my head up, it would be visible. So, I am walking around getting ready to go out in the morning and I walk over a pencil and make a mental note to pick it up and put it where Miss 8, who I know will ask for it that afternoon, can find it. In the corner of my eye I see a jumper and I know it will be needed in three days time at approximately 3.30 pm so I race down and put it in the car. I’m unstacking the dishwasher, making lunches and ironing uniforms all at the same time. I know there is a dirty nappy next to the cot that I need to take out to the bin so I put it on my brain-check-list to do as I head out to the car. In the meantime, I am checking emails, facebook and twitter; such joys to a multi-tasker. I know I saw a drink bottle under the couch a week ago and, obviously it did not make it on the brain-check-list, but it made it on to the subconscious-I-know-where-everything-is-list. Oh, yes, I have one of those lists as well. Getting back to the drink bottle, Miss 5 says she can’t find her drink bottle and we are in a hurry so I reach for the under-the-couch one, that was left there for this very occasion. In my subconscious-I-know-where-everything-is list I have visions of Master 2′s shoes in the bottom of the pram and Miss 3′s shoes in her room so these items move to the brain-check-list to grab as I go to the car. Of course, all these couple with yelling — I mean communicating with my four children. Did I mention I was having an instant messaging conversation with my friend in England as well?

My husband responded “Far out! That is AMAZING and SCARY!”. I decided not to take offence at the scary bit.

For my husband, being a surgeon means completing many steps carefully and precisely to achieve a goal. If I was a surgeon, and be very glad I am not, I would surely kill my patients for the sake of efficiency. On the other hand, when we are in a hurry, my husband finds it difficult, no, impossible, to co-ordinate many things at once. As a couple, my husband and I have learnt to use each other assets instead of being irritated at each other — well mostly. Husband does homework with the children and is a very patient and good teacher, he assembles toys and furniture and is good at his job. I manage the efficiency of the household, and sometimes, my husband stays out of the way  so I can be a whirlwind.

Chronic Multi-tasker Woman vs One-task-at-a-time Man? Sometimes challenging, but always interesting. Use each others assets; it takes work, but is worth it.

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