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Multi-tasking

(20 Posts)
Tizliz Mon 14-Mar-16 10:57:13

My daughter always comments that I will be reading and OH watching TV but if he misses something on his programme I will tell him what is happening even if I have no interest in it.

I also touch type (though my arthritis now means that my fingers can't keep up with brain!), and can carry on a conversation whilst typing.

teacher11 you must be a lot drier than we are, if I got the pressure washer out we would be flooded (again).

Teacher11 Mon 14-Mar-16 10:12:15

My DH cannot multi task. Yesterday we were sharing the job of cleaning the patio. I had an overview of what was going on and was in charge of scrubbing the stones, keeping the electrics untangled and away from the hose, clearing the water from the hosed stones and sorting out the edges. The DH was cleaning the patio stones one by one with a pressure washer. I COULD NOT get him to dampen the stones a few ahead so I could scrub them in preparation for the washer. He just couldn't take in two tasks at once but stood, transfixed by the one slab at a time. In the end I gave up asking him and sorted it out for myself. The job would never have been done had I not been here, there and everywhere.

Bless him, though, as the job would not have been done without his dogged and narrow focus as I can't use the pressure washer due to my tennis elbow.

I suppose we are Jack Spratt and his wife.

Angela1961 Sun 13-Mar-16 19:58:14

Today ( as per most Sundays ) and living in Cumbria we go for a walk. I'd already made our lunch boxes and oh said he'd make the flask. I went off to get dressed. Was called back to the kitchen as he couldn't find the instant coffee. I opened the cupboard and put my hand straight on it. Walked back to bedroom. A minute later a call from the kitchen ' Can't find the flask cup ' Back to kitchen - other cupboard, hand straight on it. Some men have trouble with one task ! Btw walk was a 12 miler - multitasking atm - watching tv and catching up on here.

inishowen Sun 13-Mar-16 11:48:26

I like to knit while watching tv, or I look at my laptop at the same time. DH says "will I turn this off?" as he thinks I can't possibly be watching the programme, but I am! I am a touch typist too, so can type while watching tv. We women are clever creatures.

Indinana Sun 13-Mar-16 11:28:58

I'm just the same. Hate just sitting watching TV with idle hands. Always knitting/crocheting or doing a jigsaw on my laptop. DH puts Sky news on first thing and I never look at it but I listen to it all. He'll turn the TV off when he's had his fill and I'll often say 'Oi, I was following that!'. 'But you're on your ipad!' says he. 'Yes, but I was listening to the TV.'

When I was working, colleagues were always amazed that I could carry on typing at speed while having a conversation with them. I had been a touch typist all my working life and it was second nature to me!

annifrance Sun 13-Mar-16 11:28:40

Like many, cannot just watch TV, do knitting, solitaire on Kindle, crosswords and other puzzles in Puzzle books, ironing, sewing.

multi tasking is a woman thing. OH constantly accusing me of missing things and getting cross that (he thinks) I am not watching my choice of programme/DVD.

I was once asked by a lecturer to repeat what she had just said as I talked to my friend in the back row. I could verbatim. Very rude of me I know. OH amazed that I can hold a conversation in a restaurant while listening, no eavesdropping, to the conversation on the next table. Again very rude, but hey I am just interested in people.

pensionpat Sun 13-Mar-16 11:23:32

The TV or the ironing?

nanaGill Sun 13-Mar-16 11:02:16

Ironing is always done in front of tv, too boring otherwise.

PRINTMISS Sun 13-Mar-16 08:53:29

I too have to be doing something else whilst watching t.v. otherwise I fall asleep - usually at the crucial point of discovering "who dunnit". I like to do sudoku or a word puzzle of some sort, and because I do have the sub-titles on, I always have some knitting to hand.

Tessa101 Sun 13-Mar-16 08:44:20

I'm making my list of things to do watching telly and on my iPad. OH says can I turn this over if your not watching it,he also can't believe I'm doing all 3.I sometimes wonder how I coped without my iPad.

PPP Sun 13-Mar-16 08:37:08

I was skyping with my four year old grandson last week and he started to watch a video at the same time and on the same iPad! He told me that he was multi tasking!!

Coolgran65 Sun 13-Mar-16 08:06:04

I cannot just sit and watch tv, sudoku, cryptic crossword, multi tasking no problem.

Liz46 Sun 13-Mar-16 06:47:13

I once found my husband multi-tasking. Obviously it wasn't anything useful. He had one sport on tv, another on the computer both with no sound and a third on the radio.

harrigran Sat 12-Mar-16 23:15:09

I always do a crossword or some kind of puzzle while watching TV, DH tells me I am missing things by not looking all the time. Tonight we watched a recording that was in German with English subtitles, I couldn't do a puzzle as I had to read the screen and promptly fell asleep grin

Jomarie Sat 12-Mar-16 23:02:48

Triplets I fear!!! grin

grannyqueenie Sat 12-Mar-16 22:45:20

I never knew my old boy had a twin brother, NanKate!! grin

Charleygirl Sat 12-Mar-16 22:41:11

I either watch the programme or not, no half measures. I do not do anything else at the same time.

Bellanonna Sat 12-Mar-16 22:33:29

I pick up my iPad during the ads and often don't get back to the next part of the programme but DH will always shout that it's started. I just say oh, thanks but go on doing what I'm doing on the iPad. I do hear most of it but I also quite enjoy doing two things at once unless I'm really riveted to something on the telly.

Grannyknot Sat 12-Mar-16 22:28:09

Hehe ... that's me and knitting!

NanKate Sat 12-Mar-16 21:04:09

My DH cannot understand that I can watch telly, do my Sudoku and surf my IPad all at once. The moment I look away from the tv programme we are watching and start doing something else DH 'Don't miss this or that'. I then respond 'I didn't miss it', even if I have grin.