Sunday, February 28, 2010

one task too many

i was driving home on the expressway this evening & the wife was relating some new personal problems arising on her side of the family. i must have been quite engrossed because before i realised anything, i have already missed the exit by a good 10km!!

yeah, you're right - it was a personal problem of such severity that BOTH of us missed out on the exit!! but then as i reflected upon myself, i realised what they said about men is quite true - they....er...i meant, we can't do 2 things at a time.

ah ha, no wonder i couldn't talk to a patient & do an examination at the same time, neither could i watch TV & surf the net simultaneously. & it just dawned on me why i normally don't talk when i drive. good thing it's just an exit i missed. those recent fatal crashes into the back on stationary vehicles on the hard shoulder of the expressway.....could the drivers be talking on their mobile, or changing CDs, or just munching on potato chips?

obviously, the word "multi-tasking" doesn't exist in our vocabulary & (sigh) i am living proof of that.

this is also why i avoid talking to my surgeon friend when he is operating - how many medical litigations have we heard of, or read in the media already??

14 comments:

Reanaclaire said...

Oh, i am always multi tasking, no wonder i made errors in my work.. :) at this moment of time, I am watching my favorite chinese tv series and typing this at the same time.. is this considered multi tasking? but i do not encourage multi tasking while driving.. it is dangerous esp one is on the cell phone..

doc said...

Claire,

i think multi-tasking just means doing 2 or more tasks at the same time, but doesn't reflect on how well the individual tasks are carried out. in your case, while you are typing, are you equally attentive to your cantonese serials? probably not, right?

so, correct me if i'm wrong - true multi-tasking is impossible.

missyc said...

haha Doc good one "i am living proof of that". My husband is along the same line & I've learnt over the years never ever discuss family problems or personal issues in the car. Doesn't matter who's driving, things tend to get heated up or expect a total silence from the other half who should concentrate on the road anyway, eg if he misses the exit, if he can he will reverse gear rather than take a longer route to go back.

Its been said women are the better half at multi tasking but beware of those at the driver's seat coz "Either they are very good or really bad driver" hehe.. talking from experience.

ilene said...

DOC, it's not impossible to multi-task! It takes a lot of practice! I could mop the floor and do the boogie at the same time - just like Mrs Doubtfire! I could chat with 3 persons at the same time on MSN! I could give instructions to another person while I'm on the phone and I could comprehend what my boss is rattling there while I'm on the phone too! ta...da....! :))

iml said...

So, when one tells you they multitask at work, it means their work it NOT reliable!!! :D

doc said...

MissyC,

agreed.

when driving, i think it's plainly dangerous to do something else, except that most times we get away with it, so we continue to try out our "heroics", eg. changing CDs, SMSing, etc.

doc said...

Ilene,

these are tasks that are non-life-threatening, so i guess it's not important if one can carry out 2 or more at the same time; if anything, it saves time.

but when it comes to driving, it's imperative that the driver concentrates on just that task. to put things in perspective, would you trust a surgeon who talks to his stock-broker during surgery???

ta da..;)

doc said...

Iml,

when one tells me that, i take it with a pinch of salt & smile knowingly to myself.

Anonymous said...

Women are generally good at multi-tasking. But I can't do the phone and driving thing at the same time. Somehow, hands-free phoning is still distracting for my driving.

doc said...

Mei Teng,

talking on the mobile while driving, even with hands-free, is definitely distracting unless it's monologue. multi-tasking while on the wheel is a definite no-no for me, & i always dread when the call is from the hospital.

Adino said...

Sometimes when talking, I will totally use the wrong road. Will automatically go to office instead of going shopping/church!

doc said...

Adino,

there you are - i rest my case!

Jo said...

kakakaka.... How apt! I just read this in another blog, JUST!

http://secretdiaryofasahm.blogspot.com/2010/02/multi-tasking.html

doc said...

Jo,

yeah, coincidentally i read that shortly after i posted this.