I want to give a shout out to those of you joining us today by way of the Encouragement for Today devotion I have up over at Crosswalk.com and on our site at Proverbs 31.org. If you haven’t read it yet and watch to catch up with the rest of us, click here to do so. Don’t forget to come back and enter the giveaway!

Speaking of giveaway….let me tell you about it first. It is an organizational ‘basket-in-a-box’ centered around my book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized. In addition to the book, it includes:

* A 13 pocket, expandable accordion file

*Some funky, swirly, colorful, large paper clips

*A magnetic ‘to-do’ list pad

*A set of fun file folders to organize your papers

* A way cool plastic “tall grass” holder for your desk top designed to hold pens, pencils, scissors, etc

*And two packets of premium flavored hot cocoa–one chocolate hazelnut and one cinnamon chocolate– to sip and savor while you read and organize

Just click on the form below to leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered in the drawing. The winner will be announced Monday. Now……

To multi-task or not to multi-task?

That is the question.

The answer?

Yes.

And no.

We women are experts at multi-tasking. We can be talking on the phone, French braiding hair, cooking supper, helping a child with homework and nursing a baby….all at once.

Men?

They can change a light bulb.

But don’t you dare ask them a question while they are in the middle of changing that light bulb because they’ll have to stop their twisting motion in order to answer you!

(Okay….maybe I exaggerate just a little…)

A woman’s ability to multi-task can be both a blessing and a curse.

It can be beneficial during on those days we need to get more done in less time. And it can be detrimental when it detracts from something important that requires our focused attention.

For example….being on hold with the insurance company while sorting laundry?

Good.

Trying to paint your nails while a crying teen pours her heart out to you about a friend who hurt her?

Not so good.

Cleaning the bathroom while you supervise your toddler as he plays and splashes in the tub?

Good.

Typing away on the computer and checking email while your friend on the other end of the phone tells you her husband is divorcing her?

Not so good.

Yep, multi-tasking can be great! (And let’s see if any of you can beat one of my friend’s best records. One day I called her and discovered she was talking on the phone to me, bleaching her teeth, giving her son a spelling test and bouncing on the mini-tramp for exercise all at once!)

But multi-tasking is not wise when there are actual living, breathing people who need our attention. People with needs. And feelings.

At those times, perhaps we should fight that innate urge to multi-task.

And, on a grander scale, we must fight the urge to multi-task by taking on too many responsibilities outside of our four walls; by saying ‘yes’ to numerous commitments we really don’t feel called to but are afraid to say no to; by wearing too many hats at church, school or in the community in an attempt to be the 2010 version of Super Woman.

Nearly did me in a few years ago.

Then I heard a few statements that helped me to sort through my over-committed schedule and scrape off my too-full plate. They are:

1. Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.
2. Don’t take on more than you can pray for.
3. If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.

The first comment I read in a book over 20 years ago, although I don’t remember which book! I actually have that phrase printed above the signature line of our checks as a constant reminder. The busy life isn’t full and rewarding. It is barren. Empty.

The second comment was spoken by my friend Becky Glenn at a Hearts at Home conference many years ago. So wise! If you can’t commit to praying for the all of the responsibilities, situations and people that will go with the new task at hand, then say no.

And the third I’ve heard many places and it really is a clever trick of the enemy. Bad? We good Bible study gals know more than to be bad? But busy? Yep! We fall for that one every time. The truth is, both bad and busy render us ineffective for service to Christ.

Well, cyber sister, how about you? Where do you rank on the multi-tasking scale?

Are you tempered and balanced, with enough white space on your calendar and in your day to keep you sane and connected with God and with those you love?

Or are you on activity overload, constantly playing catch-up as you run George Jetson-style on the busyness treadmill of life?

Or are you somewhere smack dab in between?

Does one of the three statements above jump out at you? Why?

Hop on and join the discussion today. By doing so, you will be entered in the drawing for the giveaway. However, if you are too busy to write out a comment, then simply say “I’m in!”. You’ll still be entered.

If that is all the time you have today…no problem! You are either too busy and you need to do some plate scraping yourself (don’t worry…I too am fixin’ to do a little plate scraping real soon)….or someone needs your attention right now, so you are being careful not to multi-task when you shouldn’t. Bravo!

Comments?

Plate-scraping Blessings,