I can not multi-task. Oh my goodness, I can not multi-task. I even have a hard time watching a movie and reading subtitles at the same time. I usually just wind up reading the whole thng wondering what the actors must look like. When I’m driving, if you’re talking to me, the chances of an accident occurring goes up by a factor of twenty at least. I think people who ride with me just assume I’m a bad driver, but I’ve only had one accident in almost 20 years of driving. When I’m on the phone, if my eyes aren’t closed, forget it, I won’t be engaging in any way.
Also, nothing stresses me out more than having such a long ‘to do” list that I can’t seem to do ANYTHING on it… even really really simple tasks. I’ll give an example… just off the top of my head these are things directly on my mind that I know I have to take care of sometime soon.
- Get exhaust manifold replaced with header
See if warranty is still valid on laptop computer and fix DVD driveReplace battery in smoke detectorFix ceiling fan- Fix siding off the side of the house
Do taxesOrganize 9th grade lock-in- Find gift cards – I THINK I LOST THEM
Oil tailgate on PathfinerPractice acapella songPut Christmas tree in the attic- Clean piles of clutter in the house
Unpack from last week’s trip to LAPay billsAnswer unanswered emails from a month agoClean out my inboxSave Spira from Vegnagun and reunite with Tidus after the closing creditsOtganize April Friday Night Fellowship activityand send out e-mailGo to BJs for water bottlesTransport office chair home- Fix door handle on Pathfinder (get Crazy Glue gel)
Organize game for Family Group on Sunday
Now, you’ll notice there are quite a few odd ones… such as “Put Christmas tree in attic.” This means that I took apart my artificial Christmas tree, and now it’s just sitting under the attic ladder hatch waiting to be moved 9 feet up into the attic. Why can’t I just do this simple task and get it over with? I DON’T KNOW. I guess it’s because I don’t think it’s as important as some of the other tasks on my list which may even require a great deal of effort.
And see the “See if warranty is still valid on laptop computer” item? That’s been on my mental “to do” list for about a year and a half now… and I think the warranty actually expired last week sometime, so that may come off my list just by default.
And if you’re wondering what the “Save Spira from Vegnagun…” item is… well, it’s actually the end of the video game “Final Fantasy X-2.” I actually started the game a little over a year ago (stopped after a month or so) and spent so much time on it to get to the end, that it feels like it’s all for nothing if I don’t eventually get to the end… and it’s been bothering me on-and-off for a while. I actually considered paying someone to finish it for me, just so I can see the ending.
And it’s not that I don’t get things done. It’s just that when the list starts getting really really long, I start losing motivation to do ANY of it. I’m playing with the idea to take a day off sometime soon to pare down my list just so that I don’t have to think about some of these things anymore. Because once I set my mind to do it, it’s like clockwork. And checking things off the list feels SO VERY good.
Yes, I guess something is terribly wrong with me…. oh look… a spoon on my desk that I used to take cough medicine with that I’ve been meaning to take down to the kitchen for… oh, about 4 months now… eh, it can wait… I’ve got other things I need to do.
EDIT: I’m going to cross off things I actually get done… just to see if this helps me do them.
Oh and here’s a little something about what “Calgon” is… “Calgon, take me away!”
Ok, in a moment of sheer will power, I went and put the Christmas tree away and took the spoon to the kitchen. It feels pretty good.
Ack, but I just remembered that I have to replace the air filter in my house ventilation system… argh.
… and I have to iron my pants and clean out my closet…. Calgon, take me away!
oh nathan, don’t be so disgruntled. who’s calgon? my to do list is always long, and it’s got things that will take forever to do on it as well. btw, i got a funny story to tell you whenever you get the chance. i think you’ll get a kick out of the whole thing. it’s such a disaster…
Oh my GOODNESS! Things left over from a year ago?? (Well, I guess I can relate. I won’t reveal my ‘list’ & ‘piles’ here, though!) … You have to ‘close’ your eyes, when on the phone? Whoa, I don’t think I’ve ever heard THAT one, before… wow, poor Nate, sorry the world can bombard you with so many sensory distractions… But, I guess it can be good: when you ZONE in, I bet you REALLY ZONE in… you must have super-sharp focus, dude.
i can help you with that list. just give those gift cards to me! :)honestly though, some things will never get done, but those “some” things don’t matter if it does get done or not. it’s just a matter of if it bothers you or not. and it seems it does bother you. relax. let Calgon take you away. but brace yourself, that list will still be there when you return.Oh! but replacing that air filter is very important. you’ll burn out your ventilation system and that’ll be really $$$ to replace…..hmmmm, i think i need to replace mind too….
oh dang it! “preciouslambs” has just beat me! i wanted to do that list for you, Nate… GIFT CARDS! oooh hahaha…. OR I could go shopping for YOU instead!
hey, good job on putting that Christmas tree up in the attic… 9 feet? oh my… superjob, Nate!!! jal hat suh… hehehe….
Do ONE thing at a time… ONE thing in ONE day and you’ll be done in 2 weeks! organizing Yahoo emails are quite easy! just create folders and sort them in there. Yeah, it does FEEL GOOD as you check things off, eh? hehehe….
I’d help you if I were there….. *sigh*
oh btw… nice profile pic! I like it… do you see Sue Lee on my profile pic?! that was taken last Thanksgiving! yeah…that’s Sue Lee! hhehehe….ooooh… I have this one pic that I really like. I’ll scan it right now and put it up on the profile pic! hehhe…
hahahahaha…thanks for sharing this, nathan. it makes me feel a little more sane.
i can multi-task fairly well, but i still have a super long to-do list. most of my to-do list that never gets done has to do with organizing something. do you really close your eyes when you talk on the phone? i find that i prefer talking on the phone under the covers with the lights turned off.
wow, you’re starting to strike things off! GOOD for you!
kudos! Let’s see if you can STRIKE all those things off – within … let’s see… a few months? an entire (another!) year?? 😉 …
these people are fast. i was gonna say i can spend your giftcards for you. anything for a friend.
Okay. I guess I’ll be the first to represent the guys, since it seems only the ladies have commented so far. Uh. Yeah. I can relate. I have so many things on my to-do list on my PDA that I can’t actually hold any mo… Oh, never mind. “Pay credit card bill and cell phone bill.” Done. Woo-hoo! Free space available on PDA! Yeeessss!!! Thanks man! If it wasn’t for your entry, I wouldn’t have been able to check off those things. Oh, look. Another one:take dog to vet.” Done last week…
Never mind. Since Sae commented, I’m no longer the only guy representing…
Dudes – while the comments re. gift cards are hilarious – don’t forget, Nate, that those cards hardly ever expire! Chill, and use them in 2007, 2008, whatever. (Okay, I guess that’s another “to do” annoyance: check which ones, if any, expire! I can tell you now, B&N never expires!) (I think, haha.)
did you notice? that “Calgon” ad is targeting a “stressed-out suburban housewife”. not implying anything. i guess it can be for men with never ending to-do lists.
i bet if you had lovy still working for you, a lot of those things would be crossed off. well, i’m sure, at the least, she could have replaced your catalytic converter for you and taken care of the 9th grade boys lock-in. unfortnately, bigger and better things for her. hehe.
oh, and those gift cards…if you missed like the 239084203 billion news reports at christmas…a lot of them depreciate after a certain point. they begin to charge “fees” after so many months, and start to take off a certain amount each month, so you should read the fine print on the back of the cards.
and i mean, the Giant gift card, i can help you take care of that one. 😉
u still have a crack in your manifold? for shame!
and u can cross of the a capella song as of tonight….
who are all these people?
hey nathan………
yeah i can’t really multitask but i think it is because i dedicate (at least to bigger things) a lot of time and thought….
there is no point talking to me on the phone when i am watching tv… you can ask any of my friends that……. hahahahahha
i am also very easily overwhelmed and lazy so i just put things off……… however just write the list… start with the small things first…. and then work your way up…. and then before you know it you will have dedicated a whole (insert amount of time here) and you’ll be done………..
Nate – I suck at multitasking too. I hate when people ask me questions when I drive because I’m usually trying to focus on the road and on potential obstacles. In fact, if while driving I’m asked a personal question that I wouldn’t normally answer, there’s a good chance I’ll answer it (albeit likely incoherently) because it’s so hard for me to focus on the road and realize that it’s a personal question that I shouldn’t be answering.
Okay, new item on my “to do” list… respond to all these comments… here goes…
lhpkoala – yes, I long to be gruntled again. Calgon is a water softener. I was referring to a very very old TV commercial. Okay, *listen to Lee’s story… added that to my new “to do” list. HAHA
loyolalee – yes, the list is life… and I guess I am trying to “zone in” on getting some things off it, so let’s see what happens! Hopefully I’ll have most of them done by the end of the WEEK! Ambitious? Maybe.
preciouslambs, duckiedee, mellowyellow423, and joannkim – you guys are SO generous for offering to use my gift cards… I only hope I can return the favor someday.
preciouslambs – a LOT of things bother me… and no amount of bath salts will help with that.
duckiedee – aw, thanks for the thought. you’re the best little sister EVER. Yeah, I know how to move the emails, but I’m trying to convert them to text files and store them somewhere. After you get here, we should go visit Sue and family sometime. It will be such an awesome reunion! Yeah, I changed the photo because people were saying that it didn’t accurately portray me. HAHA!
wumanjoo – yeah, but ANYONE compared to me seems more sane.
davisgq – yeah, but you’re the first stylin’ guy to represent. I used to have a PDA, but keeping up with it stressed me out even MORE.
nonmembercomment – AH! not another thing for my list… no, I’m just going to assume they all expire in 2006.
joannkim – yes, lovy was a godsend… but molly is filling her shoes quite well… didn’t you know?
hashiriya2k – yes, the crack is still there… after, what… 5 years? But I don’t really drive that car that much anymore. Also, I was hoping to get some practice in before tonight… but oh well…
kwabert – friends, family, well-wishers, strangers, brothers and sisters in Christ, and buddies…
geppyblue – yep, I know exactly what you’re talking about! I’m the exact same way. You should explain it to my buddies so that they’re not angry at me all the time
snap360 – hahaha, I’ll remember that… hey, can you give me a ride somewhere? I promise I won’t ask for your PIN number for your ATM card.
argh! i woke up this morning – yes, at 4:40am – with visions, i.e., nightmares, of dif. piles in my apt. i need to sort through!! darn you, nathan kim! (j/k – please delete this comment, now!!) 😉 …
i suck at tasking
btw, how’d u save spira so quickly????
paper tax forms are at the library but it’s so much harder to do by hand. Use the free online filing thru IRS.