I've gone through tons of resumes for different positions that I've had.

At one point I was hiring someone to replace me. Others, I was looking for quality candidates to work in our BizDev Department. I'd have to say that about 90% of the applications/resumes had "Multitasking" under skills. 

While some hiring managers look at this as a real quality to have, I personally read that skill as "Doing 3 things at once, none of which are getting my full attention."

I've had the discussion over why multitasking is a myth for years now. Friends and colleagues will say something like "Well, I can multitask, maybe it's just you who can't."  

Whenever they whip out that load of crap, I'm tempted to ask them to hold a pan of lasagna that's hot out of the oven, and then toss a freshly poured glass of top-shelf gin at them to see which item drops. 

The truth of the matter is that regardless of how many things you claim to be juggling, you're only touching one thing at any given time.

Right now, I could be thinking of a lot of things, like the laundry that I left in the washer at home, the project that I have to work on, my lunch that I'm already counting down the hours until, the bills that I need to pay for my client today, and my own invoices that I need to send out. 

But right now. Right this very second, I'm writing to you guys. I can't send out invoices right now. I can't switch the laundry. I can't pay my client's bills. If I were to, this blog post would be half-written when it was posted, if it got posted at all.

As much as I preach about the myth of multitasking, I too am an offender. There have been several moments during the last 10 minutes that I've been writing this, that I've thought about the other things that I need to do. I get off focus, and it takes me a few seconds to get re-focused. 

The cure?
Be here now.
Whatever you're doing, do it, and only it.
Wherever you are, be all there.

The other tasks, other customers, other bills will be there when you're done with your current one. I'm sure the receiver of your work, attention, and money, would appreciate that you gave them complete focus, and it might even produce some repeat business.

What's your view on Multitasking? 

And more importantly, would you drop the lasagna? Or let the top-shelf Gin fall to the floor?