If studies are correct in implying that women are naturally gifted in multitasking because our corpus callosum (the part of the brain that is the "mediator" of sorts, between the left and right hemispheres) is wider than our male counterparts, why wouldn't women want to capitalize on that gift? On the other hand, there's the 2001 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (Rubinstein, Meyers, & Evans) that examines the limitations and time costs of multitasking- particularly when switching between more complex tasks.

Let's take driving as a practical example. While I doubt anyone would argue the fact that it's not a good idea to try and manipulate a cell phone while driving, one wonders where we draw the line. Is it the conversation that's distracting the driver, or is it that both hands need to be on the wheel, or some combination? What about conversations between driver and passenger (so long as they're amicable and do not produce stress)? Or the radio? Or listening to audio books and courses?
After all, I heard Brian Tracy say to make your car a university on wheels! I took that advice to heart in the mid-90s!

If you're driving somewhere habitually (e.g., to and from work), then your unconscious competence kicks in, which could arguably enable you, for example, to have that pleasant conversation with your passenger or (if you have a headset piece on) a pleasant cell phone conversation. And the radio can be quite benign, says the girl who never drives in silence, regardless of where she's going!

So while multitasking might not be for everyone, I would argue that it can be beneficial to some when at least one task taps into your unconscious competence (i.e., anything that doesn't take much conscious thought to do successfully-like breathing!) and does not conflict with another cognitive process. I believe the odds of successfully accomplishing two simultaneous activities can increase without a decrease in productivity in either task if you have a whole brain orientation, rather than one hemisphere being more dominant than the other.

For example, you could combine doing housework, a physical activity that is more than likely ingrained (unconscious competence strikes again!), while learning from audio lessons on your iPod or CD player-a mental activity. I've successfully ironed, folded laundry, washed dishes, and gardened, all while learning tons from various and sundry MP3 classes I've put on my iPod. A friend of mine just told me his day went by really fast as he painted his new fence (something he'd rather not do) while enjoying Paul Simon's latest.

I've even learned about entity structuring and asset protection while illustrating the children's book I wrote and was engaged in both activities with no problems. I believe it was because there was not a cognitive conflict involved.

But you might run into problems with multitasking if you're trying to carry on a conversation with someone while checking your email, for example. You're using the same cognition with these two tasks, and as a result, neither task gets the full attention it deserves. And the person you're talking to face to face (or even on the phone) may feel a bit put off.

Some argue that you should start with one task and keep working on it until you've finished it. That may be natural for many, but what about those who thrive best by "flitting" between tasks, even if it's sometimes a purely psychological benefit?
Barbara Sher describes these types of people as "scanners."

In college, when we studied for our exams-especially during finals week--many of us cyclically spent fixed amounts of time on each subject to avoid driving ourselves crazy. And I'll be the first to admit that instrumental music (jazz or classical) was on while I was studying. My mind would wander in total silence, otherwise. In fact, I'm listening to contemporary jazz as I write this article! Listening to music with words I'm familiar with, however, would pose a problem for me because I would want to sing along.

I'm certainly not arguing against the power of focus, though.
Heavens no! The power of focus is responsible for all sorts of wonderful outcomes. We're often in the flow, have clarity, and lose track of time when the power of focus is doing its job. When I'm really engaged in a wonderfully insightful book, and especially when I'm composing and producing my song ideas, I'm 100% present in that process, and no one had better disturb me while I'm in the throes of that creative outlet!

Then again, notable psychologist, B.F. Skinner believed that many people miss great opportunities when they adhere to finishing a preconceived plan when something unexpectedly interesting comes up. He believed that you should pursue that "something unexpectedly interesting" to see where it takes you in the name of accidental creativity.

Alexander Fleming did it when he discovered penicillin from mold, of all things, that formed when he exposed deadly bacteria he was studying to air. I've had many bouts of accidental creativity when I played an unintended chord or musical interval that sounded cooler than what my mind's ear originally heard.

I've often said that no "one size fits all" strategy exists in our approach to getting things done. What works for some people may not work for others. So I encourage you to consider circumstances, intuition, and discernment as criteria to evaluate when deciding whether myopia or multitasking is the best route for you.

Copyright (c) 2006

For your blended learning pleasure Carol Dickson-Carr has created a free 30 minute audio that goes into depth on how to increase your productivity. Visit http://managingpersonalresources.com for details! Carol makes money using her creativity and helps others do the same. She is co-author of "A Guide to Getting It: Purpose & Passion" and creator of an audio series to help you master your time so you can live your dreams.

Kahil Gibran proclaimed, "Work is love made visible." I would further clarify his position by insisting that a job is what you do for a paycheck. Work is what you do for a life. It is that energizing, all-encompassing activity that allows you to bring skills to bear in ways that are satisfying beyond a pay period. It is that activity that saves you from being a faceless number in a mechanistic wheel-hence it holds redemptive powers. It is that activity which makes a contribution to a larger world order. It is that activity from which you sense a measure of accomplishment and achievement. It excites you. It gives you joy. It binds you to a community of people who are stakeholders in what you do. Ultimately, it has a ripple effect and the potency of a legacy for those who follow.

"Ah come on!," you insist. "How about a garbage collector? A waiter? A store clerk? Who is going to love those jobs?"

Great question. And at face value, it seems that not every employment opportunity has such grand potential. Just take the money, leave it as soon as you can for greener pastures. Screw those miserable bosses. Thumb your nose at the customer.

And tomorrow you die.

That's it. Plain and simple. While you are looking for the dream vocation, the better work environment, the nicer boss, reality can step in and your one moment on the Planet is gone forever. It's a reality made even MORE real by current events.

There's an uneasy shift that has taken us by storm and rattled our plod-along workaday world. Many are paralyzed by the insecurity of the times. The terror of 9-11 and the subsequent global aggressiveness pushed us over the edge. With a wobbly U.S. economy, unsettled change continues to bombard us. Mega- mergers boggle the mind with the endless zeros streaming behind a behemoth's financial size. We gasp at the number of employees who are cast off from a consolidated giant. We see plant closures and layoffs in everything from clothing manufacturing to banking. Overnight web companies turn almost under-age youth into millionaires and executives at age 40 are left scratching their heads. Then, dot.coms fail, leaving bewildered employees in the rubble. Wall Street meltdown, corporate greed, and icon-like presidents who crash as fallen idols make daily headlines.

Despite statistics that indicate employment is coming back, there's pain and inaccuracy behind these cold numbers. We are working more but feeling as if we're earning less and living in time poverty. Affluenza is an all too common word. The consistent notion that work should be a 24/7 event is being challenged by a rising number of strident voices. And with those voices comes a cry for the most urgent answer to sustainable success: finding meaningful work that makes an impact and lets us live in the bargain. Answer that plea and we'll unleash a productive and creative power akin to a tsunami.

In short we want to LOVE what we do, who we do it for and who we do it with AND love the life we create outside that work. That's the essence- the Holy Grail-the mysterious work/life balance piece. Finding that Holy Grail is done by parallel processing, working on two tracks. The first track is to make work "work" for you in your current situation.

Wouldn't it make more sense to transform wherever you find yourself-even while continuing to search-so that if and when you leave, there's a faint footprint of achievement, community, contribution and yes, even the memory of a beneficial interaction. Such a transformation allows you to love yourself in the process. It keeps bridges from burning and strengthens a network of relationships that one day you might call upon.

The critical question becomes: how do you turn a "job' into a "work"-into something that gives you more than a paycheck? No, you might not be able to alter the corporate strategic plan, paint the garbage truck peppermint pink or change a boss from a toad to a prince. But, there are specific action items you can take within your sphere of influence. Too often, we expect management to lead us in career directions, to provide us with recognition, to make "it" a better place. It's just like a marriage: there's responsibility on both sides. Using the tools offered by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan Evans in Love it. Don't Leave It (available at major bookstores), you'll find a literal alphabet soup of specific action steps to help you take ownership for your life at work

Don't wait. Time is too precious to squander. You CAN fall in love again.

Eileen McDargh is a powerful keynote speaker, recognized work/life leadership expert, and award winning author. Discover your organizational and personal resiliency factor with this free online survey http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/res_free_surveys.html Call toll free 877-477-4718

I am not suggesting that when we fail that we broadcast our failure to the world at large. I am suggesting though that admitting failure is a necessary tool that we must use if we are ever to be successful again.

An admission of failure is a very personal thing and it should be done with those whom we have a special relationship. Often we can find it difficult to admit to those we love that we have failed. It is especially difficult to admit failure to those who had expected it from the beginning.

To be wildly successful at anything requires us to go into a venture with a narrow definition of what success looks like. if we have not defined success before we attempt something, how do we know when it is time to give up on it and try something else?

Most people define success as having a dollar amount attached to it, but it is always not a financial reward that comes with success, often success is totally unrelated to finance.

Therefore as we work in a business we must be prepared to make a determination as to what success in that business looks like. If our success depends on a financial reward, we need to know what we must do to achieve that reward, otherwise we are at risk of failure. If on the other hand success is determined by the impact that we have on the lives of others, we can not always expect that this success will have financial reward.

So is it possible then to actually fail and succeed at the same time? This is the point that I would like you to ponder. As you go through your life, ask yourself what the impact is that you have had on the lives of others. Then weigh that impact on the result that you have achieved. It may not be a situation where you can claim a financial victory immediately, but it may also be a situation where you are primed to go forward and accomplish something that will reap a great financial reward.

It is with this thought that I would like to close this article. I know you have read the books that used this phrase and I believe that to achieve success we must all be prepared to live by these words. Whether we are successful now or have been in the past, we are all involved in a process of "Failing Forward" and it is in this common condition that we should all remember to be supportive of others when we see their need for support.