Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Men Can't Multi-Task - An Observation Not A Criticism

Shelle Edit: Mrs. Cake volunteered to write a post about her observations on men and multi-tasking! Y'all check it out and see what you think. Leave a little love at the bottom.



I spend a lot of time with both Ruf and Softboy at the moment. Mostly working. And I’ve noticed at how different our approach is according to our gender.

Me, I like to speed read the information, allow a few moments for my brain to process it in relation to any other information that it might contain on the subject and formulate a plan of action before I hit the ground running. I make a lot of mistakes but I also get a lot done.

The guys, on the other hand, like to cogitate on what they have learned. They like to watch the video and make notes which will form a comprehensive checklist to which we can refer back each time we perform the task. They like to assess the pros and cons of each particular course of action before deciding on the best one for their purpose. It takes time but it tends to be done correctly first time... eventually.

Of course, I can’t let this piece slip by without mentioning housework and other home-related chores.

I can be on the phone, holding for a call centre on speaker phone, whilst writing a post on the computer, nipping in and out of the kitchen performing the constituent parts of preparing a meal and still be able to direct people to where they left this item, what they need to take to that rehearsal and co-ordinate their diaries simultaneously.

Admittedly, sometimes the fish fingers get burned… or the pasta boils over…

The men in my life can focus on just the one thing at a time and get distressed if you start a sentence with the dreaded words: 'Whilst you're doing that, can you just...'

However, I guess the only important place where it really matters is whether they can stimulate two places at once when they’re in bed with a woman… and both my boys are quite certain that they can!

Cakes
,Check her out but it isn't always vanilla.

14 comments:

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

Ha! Ummmm at least you have your priorities!

My guy is actually not bad at multi tasking, he just doesn't prefer it. He would rather give all of his concentration at hand until he is finished and satisfied.

I, On the other hand, multi-task a lot, but not everything gets done exactly as it should, or if it doesn't seem important to finish I won't, I'll do what has to get done and drop it.

I think the most important thing is to learn how to delegate...

Even in the bedroom that is effective...just sayin

DCHY said...

I know you are generalizing and I am okay wi...

Where was I? Oh yeah, I am okay with tha...

Hmm? Oh! I can mul...

LOL

Untypically Jia said...

My husband insists that he can multi-task. He says that he can easily read a book and watch tv. It's a breeze to listen to me talk while playing a videogame. And don't even get me started on the things he can supposedly do while driving (Grr).

wendy said...

That makes me giggle cause my hubby can NOT multi-task (except for the last sentence, he's a master, tee,hee)

Anywho....I can't even ask him a question about anything else if he is FOCUSED on something else.

there is totally a gene there they are void of
gotta love em

wendy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
nitebyrd said...

The majority of men do suck at multi-tasking. They tend to have tunnel vision and/or hearing when they are concentrating on a job, etc. I think it has to do with not being mothers.

Anjeny said...

LOL@last sentence. At least he's able to do what is most important, yeah? LOL

As for multi-tasking, it's no surprise they can't multi-task, I think it's just too complex a thing for them to do..LOL..I mean, they don't pick up on hints, you have to literally point it out to them and even then you have to say it in the simplest form or they're completely lost.

H.K. said...

It's funny because when my husband is at work he can multi task, I've seen him do it. But for some reason he can't multi task when it comes to doing stuff around the house!

Anonymous said...

Y'all girl female women are so dam befuddled by an obvious intentional ploy by some men.

We have played the same tune for so long that y'all believe it. See we only multi-task when it suits us. Of course we don't hear y'all when you are babbling about some non-sense. We don't hear that intentionally. Because we don't care.

See Mrs. Cake illustrated it perfectly. If we lead y'all to believe we can't multi-task then YOU do all the stuff! Of course in the sack we can multi-task, why because it suits us.

We can easily, watch the game, drink beer, fart, oogle some chicks boobs, and reply to texts from hot chicks all at once.

So see things that benefit us we can always accomplish. Y'all keep sweeping, cooking, tending kids, working and paying the bills all at the same time.

We are for it.

Joanna Cake said...

Haha! Sage fell for my cunning plan. A written admission of what we women knew all along ;P

I should also have mentioned the 'selective hearing' syndrome :)

The Hubby Diaries said...

I just stumbled on this site today and this is the first post I've read and it has me chuckling.

As someone who blogs about all those ridiculously annoying (ahem.. I mean endearing) male qualities of my hubby I can attest to a man's inability to multi-task.

I wrote a post about this very topic where I compared men to toasters & women to food processors... because, in my opinion, watching tv and eating is NOT multi-tasking!

http://thehubbydiaries.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/men-are-like-toasters/

And Joanna, I've written not only about "selective hearing" but "selective vision" as well!!!

Nutty Hamster Chick said...

You write this as if it is a bad thing that men can't multi task.

It is, by the way a scientific fact that men and women's brains are wired differently.

Men are best at doing one thing at a time for a reason, it is their job to provide and protect the family. You wouldn't want the man defending you from an attacking enemy, and have to stop and check if the dinner was boiling over, would you? War tends to require constant attention.

And women are equipped to multi task because it is the only way they can care for a family. It is the way God intended us to be.

It is not a bad thing, it just is. And if you can accept this as a good quality in your husband perhaps it would save you from a lot of frustration. This does not mean that hubby gets out of helping around the house, just give him one task to do at a time.

Would you criticize a left handed person because they can't do something right handed? No. It is the same thing.

heelsnstocking said...

multi task! id be happy if he finished one!! he took up the decking 2 weeks ago and the neighbour has finished it for me as he has gone away on business and left a death trap!

Tit for Tat said...

HNS

Hmmm, Jack of all trades, master of none?

WE BELONG