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:
- Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.
- Don’t take on more than you can pray for.
- 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,
Hello Karen,
This is very helpful! Thanks for the practical tips in discerning if my plate is too full to take on more. That is exactly where I am. Thanks.
A sister in Christ,
Glenda
I still struggle with balance, but I have found I much more willing to scrape away or say no now that I am a momma of 2! One of my goals for 2010 is to read my Bible everyday, and thanks to scraping away some computer time in the evening, I have successfully read each day!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Oh this is so much what I need to do. To really stop saying yes to everything and anything underneath the sun. Especially being a pastors wife to many, many things to do.
Blessings to you and thank you for always sharing an encouraging word with all of us.
Thanks for this timely devotional. As I am setting up my goals for 2010, it is a good reminder to be prayerful about the things that I commit to.
Thanks!
Thank you for the words of wisdom. I am one whose plate is too full. I feel guilty not saying yes especially if someone calls up and asks me to do something. I will be looking for things to scrape off my plate to allow for those things God wants me to do. Thanks again!
During my pregnancy with my son I became very ill. My son and I almost died as a result. Thank the Lord we were both ok but the scare helped me rearrange my priorities. I did major plate scrapping! I even changed jobs so that I could work part time and stay home more. It’s not always easy to maintain a more simplified life. I’m one that used to doing 5 things at once 24 hours a day. But your message today helped remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing. To have more time to devote to God and my family. Thanks for the encouragement!
Thanks for the reminder! I am getting better at my outside commitments, but at home, there are a lot of conflicting ones. I hope to balance those too.
Thanks for the thoughtfull devotion. It’s always good to remember that there are so many others who are also struggling with the same issues! Blessings.
This subject has been on my mind just this week. I have a couple of home based business’ and am trying to decide if I need to drop one that is not so successful, mainly because I haven’t put forth the effort I need to. To put for that effort means more TIME. Could I be using that time for things that have a better purpose???Something to think about. Thanks for the words of encouragment.
Thank you for the encouragement. I have been struggling with this myself, recently. I know that God is working hard to point this out to me…this was also a sermon topic at our church service on Sunday night! Thank you for blessing me with your insight.
Wow. There are moms juggling full time jobs, babies at home or at least little ones in school and ministry responsibilities AND the demands of keeping a house a home. I can understand why those moms could feel overwhelmed and be pressed for precious white space…but I have two step-teens that we see only eight days a month, no outside of the home obligations of any kind and I do not sit in front of the tv or computer for any significant length of time, ever. But I have crashed and burned. I am home from work today exhausted. I have no time for friends, no time for me and worst of all, it seems I have no time to spend with God. I do have several significant health issues, but I don’t know what to scrape off my plate, but something certainly has to get scraped! This is my wake-up call. Thank you for your post.
Hi Karen,
What a BLESSING! Love Proverbs 31, the devotionals always seem to hit home. This is the first time I have ever participated on a “blog”, how nice to read statements from others who struggle with the same things. God Bless!
WOW. I NEEDED TO HEAR THAT. I often pride myself at being busy…you know…if you want something done give it to a busy person, and I get asked a lot, so that must be good, right? Wrong.
Especially the responsibility of praying. I have started being very careful in my response of accepting prayer duty because I have found myself asking my friends who I know are prayer WARRIORS to pray for things that I hope I have time to pray for. I need to drive and only drive, talk and only talk, listen and only listen, pray and only pray.
I’m in. Thanks for the insightful words and encouragement.
Thank you for those words of wisdom. I’m finally slowly down to listen to God and prioritize relationships.
I am always in awe of what God places before us right when we need it. Even websites. With the activities of three children, trying to do it all for each of them and my own instructor duties, being wife added. I def need my plate scraped. Very encouraging.
Wow, after reading your timely words and the words of others, I know God is calling me to ‘back off.’ I seem to be gone every night. this past week my DD had a nasty cold and everything came to a halt. What a blessing it was for me to not go to church commitments, Y classes, play groups, and school. I know it’s time for me to take a breath with my family and reorganize our lives. Both with priority and actual organizing/downsizing our home. Thanks Karen for the continued timely word!
Wonderful words of wisdom,Karen! Never to late to re-exam your schedule and turn that yes into a no!! Many blessings
Thanks for those encouraging words. I do have a tough time balancing everything. It’s especially hard to say no to the church work. Too much can really detract from my worship on Sunday mornings. Satan can definitely use the busyness of our work at church to keep us from really worshipping.
Thanks for the devotion and opportunity for some organizational help.
I think I’m fairly balanced. It can be a tricky thing – definitely requires a lot of prayer and communication with your spouse. Just last night I told my husband that we needed to turn down a new ministry opportunity at church. It’s just too much right now…Thankfully the Lord gives us peace. We need to be God-pleasers and NOT people-pleasers! “Lord, what do YOU want me to do?…” In that, He can and will use us to bless and help others, but our main focus needs to be on His will. Otherwise we’ll plan ourselves to death. Another point I want to make: If we’re over-scheduled, when do we have time to help out a friend in need at the last-minute? Or if our neighbor needs a meal because of a death in the family, or we think that the Lord is leading us to spend some time with an elderly friend in the nursing home, but we’re overcommitted? What about those important yet not-urgent needs? Okay, maybe I said too much…I’ll end this. This is a great subject, Karen!
What a blessing! I’ve been wearing a juggler’s hat since I became a single parent some 20 years ago. Now with my children grown and moved away, I struggle with not setting enough time aside for God. Thank you for this encouraging reminder!
Excellent !
Had to chuckle at your words about that driver! My husband drove truck for years and was amazed at what people would do behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Even saw a woman attempting to put on pantyhose while driving! HA!!!! I bet that was a sight!
As for being organized……I have a friend who gave me a book on how to be organized years ago. I found that book last week…..under a stack of papers and magazines that have been sitting in the same spot for who knows how long!!!
Guess I certainly could use some serious help!!
Ouch! The sting of conviction hits home with the driving story! I’m guilty of being a distracted driver!! Perhaps your tips would be valuable for helping me slow down!!!
Hi Karen, First time visitor to your blog through P31 woman site. Iloved this topic so much, I had a not so good attention grabber recently, I was driving my son to school, preparing cereal for him and changing radio station all at the same time then I bumped into the car ahead of me in traffic. God so good, it was a minor bump and the other driver was very understanding. Not so good multitasking that one lol.
Thanks for your thoughts again. Ive changed, really.
Thanks for this inspirational devotion. I need all the help I can get due to being a people pleaser. I need to be a God pleaser first! Thanks for the reminder.
I, also am a people pleaser….thank you for sharing these words of encouragement! I would love to win the organizational items! God bless!
Karen, AMEN to your comments today…..I always think I’m not in the same category of busyness like my other friends, who are so over scheduled and don’t eat meals at home, live out of laundry baskets etc., But the reality is that there is a level of activity that is part of God’s plan for each of us – a level of busyness and my level, is also exceeded. Thanks for this spiritual reminder of how Satan can win in our lives!
Blessings to you,
Hi Karen – You have successfully written about many of the thoughts that have been floating around in my head about multi-tasking. It seems that as women, we often pride ourselves on being great at it, but then I wonder if we ever live in and savor the moment? Or, if you’re like me, instead of poking fun at my husband for not being a great multi-tasker, why not praise him for his ability to focus on the task at hand, and better yet, why not learn to emulate that skill, even if just a bit? Thanks for publishing this and giving me even more to think about on this topic.
I’m in!
This topic is universal, no matter what season of life women are in. I thought it would change after preschoolers but it actually becomes even crazier once children start getting involved in activities outside the home. I’ve found in looking back there have been times where I do feel like I’ve cut back and had a healthy balance and before I know it, I’ve gotten caught up in busyness again! Thanks for your devotional!
Stacy
Praise God. I never thought of my life as being too busy, but God has been allowing me to “clean my plate” lately and scale back for health reasons. I am inspired by this and will take the time to reflect on my life, slowing down and finding God’s will for my life. Thank-you
I’m in.
This devotional was a great reminder for me. It is often to easy to get caught up in the everyday tasks that are ahead of me…work, kids, and the chores that go along with being a mom and wife. I find myself running around going crazy. This is when I need to stop and just sit with the Lord and let him speak His truth to me. THanks for this great reminder.
Thank you for writing down the things that go through my head daily! I love white space on my calendar, but I also fall into the
“let me say yes so people can like me” mode. As I grow older I realize that much of what consumes the world is just that – busyness, and it is not my business to get caught up in that. It is my business to serve God first, then my husband, then my children, then others and let the things that don’t truly serve God fall away. There are MANY worthwhile “things to do” here on earth, but I don’t have to be the one to do them all. God made many other capable people as well!
Thanks Karen! I’m reaching for the spatula as I post.
Susan Stephens
Ahh, a kindred, multi-tasking sister.
Thank you for the “visual” of busyness as being the enemy.
I am guilty as charged.
Amy Sue
Because I don’t have a busy life and I’m not responsible for anyone except myself my multi-tasking is more on the fun side. When I had a job some of what I did I didn’t need to really concentrate to do. I could do these tasks while on the phone answering a customer’s question. Something even more fun, I could do these tasks and listen to a book or a church message on my computer. While listening to a book I also exercise. It’s a great way to accomplish two things at once and it makes the exercising go by so much faster.
Karen,
This is the first time I’ve read your blog. A fellow homeschool friend forwarded the Proverbs 31 Ministries article about multi-tasking to me, and after reading it I came to your blog. I am recovering from a high-tension year and high-tension illness and have not been able to carry on my normal routine lately. Funny how the world keeps right on going, without my constant busyness helping it along. I’ve often tried to scrape a few things off my plate, but never considered letting God handle the spatula. In a way, He has by pulling me out of the mainstream for this season. I will be praying that He only put back on my plate those things which He knows are good for me. Hmmm…I might not get that second helping of mashed potatoes that I’m hankering for. Thank you for your message.
Thanks for the wisdom, Karen! Great questions to put my calendar up against! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! First time reading your blog and other links on your site. Enjoying it! Now I need to get back to a pile of Dec. & Jan junk mail. Do I need help getting organized? You bet I do!!
Thanks, Karen, for confirming what the Lord’s been whispering – “You’re doing enough. Be faithful with four friends and wait to help more friends.”
Been there! All too often! But at this stage of my life (well past empty nest) I have realized the ages and stages aspect of this dilemma is really its driving force for many women. It seems that the more life challenges we have (children and their many activities, parents with needs, husbands at the peak of their professional life, family travel and entertainment opportunities, etc.) the more we tend to take on. But, you are right…that does not justify the way that we do it. I just know that at this point of my life I am better able to juggle many things because I don’t have children tugging at me, a husband vying for my time, or parents with many needs (unfortunately). Things do manage to slow down eventually. Thankfully, God does give us the energy and grace to do what we need to do when we need to do it when we are younger and then gives us the wisdom and time to mentor and help younger women when we get older.
It is so nice to know I’m not the only one out there struggling with this issue. When I realize I’m not enjoying all the extra things I find myself working really hard not to take my “frustrations” out on the kids by being crabby, short tempered & in a hurry. Poor things….. I do well for a while and creep back to old habits if I’m not careful. Sigh……. Thank you for your words of encouragement.
Thanks for this encouraging information! This is an area I really struggle with and I’ve never heard the statement about Satan making us busy instead of bad. How true! It would be great to get a jumpstart on this before our second child arrives this spring!
Thanks so much for the great devotional!
I know that I am in between. I have a great organization system, use it regularly; but I have many responsibility’s – from young children to an aging parent; a new magazine; a regular job, and a fresh divorce. I struggle with this issue regularly, and with showing my children by example how to live an organized life.
I am in…….
I found this to be very interesting and right in the place where I am coming out of at the moment.
I thought that coming home full time to be a stay at home mom meant that this wouldn’t be a problem in my life but it’s amazing how easily it does happen and how you don’t notice until you are in so deep.
The saddest thing is the effect that it has on our relationship with our creator and how once we get a hang of the ‘multi-tasking’ thing how difficult it is to break and get to a place of just giving God your attention. I am learning it all over again…
God has a way of slowing us down a little sometimes, and we usually fight it only to find it was the best thing ever… no matter how it happens
Your page is a blessing. Thank you
I have had to scrape my plate many times. Oh to get organized and stay there . . .
Thanks for your words, as always they help put things in perspective.
Kim