Multi-tasking

I'll just be frank about it: I am a BAD multi-tasker. I am easily distracted by small things when I am trying to accomplish anything. The smallest sounds distract me to great extremes. Needless to say, the fact that I can't listen and work at the same time does not bode well for my multi-tasking abilities. I am most distractable when I am attempting to read. My house is not incredibly acoustically sound, so sounds travel throughout the halls and walls. It doesn't help me to focus when my dad is talking in his abnormally loud voice and the sound is travelling through the walls. Naturally, if I hear the beginning of whatever he is talking about I will begin listening attentively and losing focus on whatever it is that I am trying to read. Sometimes, even, he tries to talk directly to me while I am attempting to read something, for leisure or as part of my schoolwork. He knows, I have told him, that I have trouble focusing while reading, yet he talks to me anyway. I even say, politely, "Dad, can you please stop talking? I'm trying to focus," but he just keeps talking. I feel bad just tuning him out completely and I end up trying to listen, adding another task to my mental repertoire. Eventually I can't stand it any longer, so I just leave the room. However, as mentioned, I can hear him through the walls. The funny thing is, even if he is talking to me, he will continue his lecture even after I leave the room.



I try to multitask in other ways other than listening, but I'm not very successful for obvious reasons. I guess my I have partial motor-multi-tasking in that I can do different things with each appendage all at the same time. I have excellent hand-eye coordination. A long childhood of video gaming made sure of that. I have applied my coordination to guitar playing, somewhat successfully, I feel. Sometimes I try to play guitar while watching TV or talking on the phone, but this isn't very successful. I still have trouble singing while playing guitar, but I have been working very diligently on improving this task. It is truly difficult to make my brain think of playing different pitches and rythms from what I am singing. It is a fun challenge, though, and I love doing it.