Community Forum, Multitasking and the Art of Packing

Finally, the value of multitasking as a superior skill has been exposed as a sham. As it turns out, the brain actually does only one thing at a time. Some people, like Vivian Krueger, office coordinator in the Communication and Marketing Office, may appear to be multitasking, but they merely are both fast and efficient.

I am neither, which explains how I wound up in Europe with a near empty suitcase for a 10-day tour of Benedictine sites in Italy and Germany, sponsored by the Benedictine Institute at Saint John’s.

I tend to over pack for trips. I think of all sorts of contingencies – changes in weather, occasions ranging from casual to cocktail hour, hiking, whatever – and pack accordingly. For the European tour, I was determined to minimize my inclinations, rein them in. I took notes during our preparatory meetings; I found articles on efficient packing written by seasoned travelers; I compiled lists; I went shopping for sensible shoes, capris and short-sleeved shirts. (We had been advised that shorts and sleeveless tops were inappropriate attire for the holy sites we would visit.)

The morning of our departure was a bit more hectic than I anticipated. I couldn’t find the suitcase I wanted and spent a lot of time searching closets and crannies. The phone kept ringing while I went about packing for all sorts of contingencies. I had misplaced my notes and articles on efficient packing (I found them after I returned from Europe.) I’m not sure I consulted the most comprehensive of my lists.

Despite these obstacles, I finished packing and was impressed with how much room I had left in my suitcase for souvenirs. I lifted it – well under the weight limit, I thought with smug satisfaction.

Later, around 3 a.m., somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I had the strangest thought. It seemed to bubble up from some remote, subconscious area of my brain – the thought that I had forgotten to pack most of my clothes. Noooooooo, I thought. That can’t be. To paraphrase Obama, “Yes, it can!” I had been so distracted while multitasking and focusing on minutiae, I had forgotten to pack the snappy new outfits I had purchased. For the 10-day trip, I had the clothes I was wearing, 3 pairs of capris and 2 shirts, underwear and socks, thank goodness, and, of course, 3 pairs of sensible shoes. My travel-mates had difficulty grasping the fact that I had forgotten to pack most of my clothes. They may even have made comments behind my back, but they were kind enough to lend me some extra shirts and laundry detergent.

All this is to point out the perils of multitasking, and that reminds me of the upcoming annual CSB/SJU All-Campus Community Forum and Faculty Workshop, Aug. 18 and 19, respectively. It’s that wonderful time of year when we return refreshed from summer wanderings, on the threshold of a new academic year, when we see familiar faces and welcome new ones, and when we slip from our silos and multitasking do-lists, and focus on our priorities.

And for that, I don’t have to pack!