As women, many of us fall into the trap of believing that we can multitask our way through life. It’s easy for us to finish up some work with the TV humming in the background, talk to our friends while scrolling through social media, and workout while listening to the latest audiobook. For a lot of areas of life, multitasking seems like a great solution. It enables us to be able to get a lot done in a short amount of time and to cross more and more tasks off our never-ending to-do lists. 

However, today I want to talk about the danger that multitasking can bring us as we desire to grow closer to God. With the pushes we feel in today’s society to get everything done quickly, it can seem like God is letting us down when He doesn’t answer us as quickly as a Google search bar. Multitasking may seem to work in most areas of life, but it falls flat when faced with our spiritual growth. 

As God says in His word, He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). He doesn’t want to share His time with us with anything else (idols, tasks, or friends and family). He wants our time to be dedicated to Him and be His own. But, how can we do that when it feels like there are so many different parts of our lives screaming for our attention? 

I  read an article recently on multitasking, and found that even though women and men alike claim to be great multitaskers, the idea of multitasking is actually a myth. Your brain can’t  handle doing two or more tasks at the same time, with the same dedication level. That means that even if you think that you are able to get work done while watching the Bachelorette (I am guilty of this) your brain is going to be split between the two things. Thus, it is not able to accomplish as much as if you were focused on one task entirely. 

This might be the part where some of you start to chime in with different opinions. Maybe you think that you are the best multitasker around and that you can definitely get two things done with the same amount of energy you use to get one thing done. 

However, at our cores, we know that when we try to do too much at once we are not giving our best to anything. It’s fine to multi-task for projects that don’t matter, such as folding laundry while listening to a podcast. But it is not so easy when we try to be in the presence of the mighty God but also keep our ears out for a text from a friend. God demands our full attention. We need it to be undivided so that we can focus on Him and be truly filled during that time. 

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34

Because we spend so much of our time being filled by the words of the world and our friends, we need to set aside uninterrupted time with God. If not, our beliefs and actions aren’t going to line up with His word the way they are supposed to. 

Recently, I have realized how much time I spend ignorantly believing I can get it all done. That I can multitask my way through the day and devotional time and get just as much out of it as if I wasn't multitasking. But, that is not true. Instead, I feel disconnected from my friends, when I try to do tasks rather than pay attention to their words over the phone. I don't give my complete focus to God, either because my phone is nearby, or because my head won’t stop rattling off my to-do list. I don’t have peace because I have incorrectly accepted the belief society tells us that we can do it all and well in short amounts of time. 

But friends, we can’t do it all. It is selfish and prideful when we let our minds slip into multitasking because it is conveying that we don’t trust God to provide the time, resources, or strength for us. We say that we put our trust in God’s hands, but do we really? You might be like me who tentatively opens up my palms during my prayer time to illustrate trusting God with it all, only to close them even more tightly when the moment has passed and I find myself facing problems in the real world. 

It can be hard to give up the control of fitting as much as we possibly can into a single day, but God never intended His children to live that burned out lifestyle. 

When we put it all on ourselves to complete everything, we miss out on observing the world in a way we can only do when we are focused on one thing. We miss the beauty God proclaims to us and the messages His Spirit might whisper, all because we think we have to get everything done in a certain amount of time. 

I have sad news for you, friend: there is always going to be more work to do and more tasks to cross off your to-do list. But there isn’t always going to be time here on earth where we can listen to God and make a small difference to others based on the words He says in His word. 

So today, I invite myself and you all to practice actually opening our hands wide and true to the God of the universe. To give up the idea that we can do it all and understand that our multitasking actually brings nothing to us other than a distraction. Spend time today with God unhindered and start to notice all that is going on around you when you take a second to really look. 

How can you beat multitasking in your life?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel resides in Lancaster, Pa where she is a Digital Marketing Specialist. A recent graduate from Grove City College, Rachel hopes that her articles can help girls through hard times in college and also as they transition into the real world. In her spare time, you can find Rachel reading, hanging with her small group, exploring cute cafes, and longing for the ocean. You can find more of her writing at christiangirlcode.org