Don’t beat yourself up as a multi-taskmaster

Multi-tasking! Woman are supposed to be better at it than men. Think of how we cook dinner while folding the washing, sending a few emails and watching The Chase on TV. However, my daughter would go on a feminist rant if I were to mention that there might be a difference between the sexes. Both Emily and Ollie and, it seems, most of their generation, are extremely touchy about the whole subject of feminism. I do agree that we should be treated equally but I'm also a realist and there are differences in what we are good at. In our house, for example, Gordon wouldn't notice if the furniture was dusty, so unless I want to live in four inches of dust I need to get out the Pledge. On the other hand, if the Christmas decorations need to go up to the loft I just assume it's Gordon who is going to get the ladder out and do it. We quite happily fall into what I suppose our children would call our gender roles. I have realised over the past couple of months that I'm rubbish at multi-tasking. I've been trying to write a book, teach my regular students, work on a big TV show, clean and tidy my house, cook for the family, learn a whole new opera and meanwhile keep up with my running regime. I have to admit I feel like my head is going to explode and I'm struggling to do it all. Gordon on the other hand is great at multitasking. In his job as a music manager and publisher he is flits from one thing to another so he has to leave things unfinished. He could quite easily start tidying his office and then close the door and leave it half done and get on with something else. My mind won't let me leave things in a mess. If I know there is a mess I can't concentrate. So, each morning I have to get up, clean out the fire, wash the kitchen floor, tidy up anything we left out the night before, unload the 16 dishwasher and sort out all the breakfast stuff before I can sit down at my desk. Is this a woman thing? It is driving me mad. I would like to be able to live in chaos and get on with my job. Alternatively, I could go on holiday for two weeks, write my book, learn my opera have my bed made for me and meals cooked. Only drawback, what on earth would the house look like when I returned? I try to take inspiration from my grandmother. She was a farmer’s wife who got up at the crack of dawn and worked hard. When she was in her eighties she would be up at 7am Hoovering and dusting. I think that's the key, I've been staying up late winding down with the TV instead of getting to bed early and getting up early. If it was summer now I would be bounding out of bed and going for a run then flinging open the kitchen doors and enjoying the sunshine while I quickly did my chores and then got on with what the day threw at me. I think the answer is not to beat myself up about trying to get everything done. I'm sure that many of you reading this, like me, haven't come to terms with coping with the new year yet. It's easy before Christmas to shove everything in a cupboard and just get on with enjoying yourself. In January somehow we feel we have to get organised, get slim, get fit and give up all our treats. A big shout out to my lovely cousin Maureen and all of you by the way who are doing Dry January. I've decided I'm having a glass of wine at the weekends. It's my busy time of year and I'm only human. I might even leave the lounge dusty and close the door! If like me you hate this time of year let’s blame it for everything. Let's assume come March or April we will be back to being Superwoman or Superman. Have a good week. The Press and Journal | Saturday, January 21, 2017