Ouch.... I needed that, Brett. I'm bad at all of the above, and you just made me realize that I need to refocus myself. I have gotten in trouble way too many times because I've been trying to study or write, and have been IMing or checking e-mail (even when I knew I shouldn't be at some points).

Thank you for those excellent, convicting reminders, Brett. God definitely just spoke to me through your post. I needed that wake-up call. :-)

Can't wait to read the res! :-D
Veronika | Homepage | 07.19.06 - 6:23 pm | #

Good thoughts. Francis Schaeffer, in "Walking through the Mud", ch. 5 of No Little People talks about the realism of the Spirit of Christ opposed to the escapism of the spirit of the world, practiced in morals and entertainment.

"But alc0holics and dr.g users are not the only escapists. So is the one who stands with a transistor radio pluggd into his ear much of the day. No one seems to want (and no one can find) a place for quiet -- because when you are quiet, you have to face reality. But many in the present generation dare not do this because on their own basis reality leads them to meaningleness; so they fill their lives with entertainment, even if it is only noise."

"Rather, we are to put everything second so we can be alive to the voice of God and allow Him to speak to us and confront us. So when Paul says, 'Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,' he is not talking only about philosophical and moral beliefs. He is talking about resisting the pressure to conform to false moral standards and the escapism of a mad business which are even harder to wrestle with than philosophical and theological dangers. As Christians, we must follow God's absolute moral standards, and we must not be robbed of a place of quietness with God."

(See Eph. 5:18-19)

"Both in in theory and practice Christians can dare to face te realities of life unclouded. We do not need these things to fill the crannies of our lives. In fact, we should want to face reality: the glory of the world God has created and the wonder of being human -- yes, and even the awful reality of the Fall and the tragedy of marre men and women, even our own flawed character. We are not to be people of escape. The Christian is to be the realist. To face reality as born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is the Christian's calling."

Francis Schaeffer, No Little People in 3 COMPLETE WORKS 60-62.
Nathan Straub | Homepage | 07.20.06 - 6:59 am | #

This is a good post. I really liked the part about how multitasking detracts from the quality of our work. I forget how much I multitask--surfing three websites at once, reading a novel, eating lunch, writing a paper--all at once.
Sarah | Homepage | 07.20.06 - 9:20 am | #

Excellent post series. Really brings some things to attention that I hadn't thought about before (=convicting). It's true - the times I am so busy multitasking, trying to do a little bit of everything at once, are the times when I'm not really accomplishing anything at all, or when I do, the results are less than my best. And then I wonder why I'm not able to give my full attention to certain tasks. Hmmm...how is that you guys always hit where it hurts?! :-)

Blessings,
Hannah L. | Homepage | 07.20.06 - 1:45 pm | #

Wow! Great post! It is very true that doing more than one thing at once reduces our ability to do each thing well. I have noticed this a lot in my life recently. I think this series, and this post in particular, may become one of my favorites, along with "Stop Wasting Time," simply because this is the area I struggle most in. Thanks for writing this, Brett!
Adrielle | 07.20.06 - 3:49 pm | #

Brett,

Thank you for your post. Your words were both challenging and encouraging. Often, with regards to our culture, I can feel pressure that if I’m not doing more than one thing at a time, I’m being unproductive. This can be incredibly discouraging to me, especially since I’m not very good at multitasking! Of course, there is a place for multitasking. Mothers, in particular, often deal with situations that arise where there is no choice but to multitask. And we too, can multitask in order to keep our minds focused on good things by quoting or memorizing scripture, praying or worshipping the Lord while at the same time doing the dishes, cleaning our room or driving in the car.

However, I appreciate your point about doing everything to the best of our abilities for the Lord. I too, can become distracted from tasks easily rather than pouring my heart diligently into one thing. Practicing this will not only be a challenge and needed exhortation, but also a relief to my weary mind. Lately, I have been pushing myself to do more than one thing at a time—things that would be better suited to be accomplished alone (such as studying an audio Spanish course while making a meal—that’s pretty hard! Thankfully, I haven’t yet added the wrong amounts of an ingredient while doing this!) In the end, however, one or both tasks are left unfinished or done half-heartedly, leaving me feeling discouraged over my lack of accomplishment, extremely exhausted and weary as I try to push myself even harder the next day.

So, thank you for helping me to see that multitasking isn’t always the answer and that there is often a more productive solution. I pray that the Lord will enable us all to recognize times where multitasking is productive and beneficial and where it is only detrimental and to know the difference between the two.
Tiffany Barclay | 07.21.06 - 2:59 pm | #