Dear Multitasking Goddess, Slow Down...
- Ujwala Thirumurthy
- in
- Weekend Reads
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- 12 Jan 2019
I’m writing this post at 1am on a Friday night, when I’m supposed to be in bed. But there are plenty other things I am “supposed to be” doing at the moment. Like, there is a sink-full of dishes waiting to be washed, there’s a set of uniforms to be ironed, there is a pile of clothes to be folded, and there is also a stack of presents (from my daughter’s birthday party) sitting smugly in the living room...
But I don’t care. You know why? Because I need to S...L...O….W...D...O….W….N.
While I love, absolutely LOVE being called a ‘Multitasking Goddess’, I also think it would drive me downright insane to be one ALL THE TIME. The long nights, the countless number of insomnia-ridden days where I feel like nothing but a floating head, the times I wished I could just vanish for a few hours so I don’t have to do any of those mundane chores - you know what I mean.
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And that’s why I have decided that it’s time for me to ease up a little bit. And it's about time YOU did the same. Give yourself some time to ponder, evaluate, and figure out the stuff you want to do versus the stuff you need to do.
Yes, Dear Multitasking Goddess, it’s time to slow down.
And here’s how you do it:
1) When you go on a road trip, take a book along with you, or a pair of headphones, or better still, a cushion. Just so you can tune out for a while. You don’t always need to be helicopter parenting your 5-year-old or telling your husband to mind the speed breakers or be the one to dish out food as and when required from the bag full of snacks you packed just to make sure you don’t end up starving!
You don’t have to parent everyone around you. I agree there are several beautiful moments that come with being with kids and family, but let’s face it. It is mind-numbingly exhausting.
They CAN take care of themselves and so should you. Get behind the wheel if you must. Or simply take the time to slow your mind down, look out the window and lose yourself. Take the time to BREEEEATHE…
Yes, Dear Multitasking Goddess, it’s time to slow down.
2) If your child is sick, don’t get frustrated with the million other things you have to do apart from comforting your crying, almost-going-crazy-without-sleep child. Prioritise your chores. House cleaning can wait a couple of hours. You don’t have to maintain a museum. Once the kid is in bed, you don’t have to run around like a headless chicken trying to cook, clean, wash the clothes AND the dog. Find yourself some time. Make yourself some lunch. Go take a long bath. Put on the TV (even if it is for 15 minutes before your child wakes up again).
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3) Travel. Maybe not a backpacking tour across Europe, but just a day out with YOU. Research on where you can go and what you can do depending on your interests. Make a plan for the next few months, so you can take a day off from your schedule. Read about women who have traveled on their own, and draw from their experiences. Do this for YOU.
Yes, Dear Multitasking Goddess, it’s time to slow down.
4) If you’re a professional who also needs to tend to the house-hold responsbilities, then you need to slow down some more. You need to stop carrying around the guilt of not having spent enough time with family. You need to slow down your own thought process of everything that you need to do after you get home. A little ME time is good - even half an hour of a coffee with your friends, or a movie, or a dinner will help you get things in perspective.
If you’re still not convinced, think about this:
10 years from now, would it matter if all the clothes were washed on time, or all the toys were picked up, or your child had had her bath on time, or you didn’t cook dinner one day. No! But what would matter is your own peace of mind. What would matter is how you took care of yourself, and how strong you are now to take up more challenges that life has to throw at you!
Yes, Dear Multitasking Goddess, it’s time to slow down.
Remember, you don’t get bonuses or rewards for doing it (of course your happy home, happy children at the end of the day is the biggest reward that is immeasurable). You don’t get the Employee of the Month cake from your family. YOU reward yourself for the work you do, by getting some ME time.
So, Dear Multitasking Goddess, S...L...O...W D...O…W...N.