Do You Do Too Many Things At Once?

Does this ever happen to you? Do you feel overworked? Overwhelmed? Overtired? Most of us are busier than ever: We're doing our jobs plus sometimes the jobs of one or two gone-but-not-replaced colleagues and doing it all with less support.

'Do more with less'is the unforgiving mantra of business in industry today. Make more decisions, launch more innovations, get more stuff done, with fewer people and less resources. Cell phones, laptops, PDAs, pagers all beeping, ringing, flashing making demands on our time and our attention. It is reported by a study by the Families and Work Institute in New York of 1,003 employees that 45 percent of U.S. workers feel they are asked or expected to work on too many tasks at once. Is this true for you?

How do we do it? We become very good at multitasking. We do it everywhere largely because of technology. We can check pagers and even answer cell phones on the golf course (or in my case, the tennis court!)

Does this mean you have less time to do real work as more time is spent on task work, answering messages, shuffling papers? Do you manage to stay sane in the face of these crazy demands?

A growing body of scientific research shows that multitasking can actually make you less efficient. Trying to do two or three things at once or in quick succession can take longer overall than doing them one at a time, and may leave you with reduced brainpower to perform each task.

Research shows that multitasking increases stress, diminishes perceived control, and may cause physical discomfort such as stomach aches or headaches not to mention shoddy work, mismanaged time, rote solutions, and forgetfulness. Have you ever noticed that as you are working on one task, thoughts about another creep into your consciousness? Taken further, car crashes, kitchen fires, forgotten children, near misses in the skies, and other dangers of inattention.

The Institute for the Future finds that employees of Fortune 1,000 companies send and receive 178 messages a day and are interrupted an average of at least three times an hour. Is your head shaking in agreement?

It doesn't mean we can't do several things at the same time, but we're kidding ourselves if we think we can do so without a cost. Our brains allow us to appear as though we can comfortably multitask. We do have an excellent filtering mechanism to switch our attention rapidly from one thought to the next. At the same time, rather than lose unattended thoughts, this mechanism keeps them active in the recesses of the brain.

However, the more we juggle, the less efficient we become at performing any one task. And the longer we go before returning to an interrupted task, the harder it is to remember just where we left off. Multitasking diminishes our productivity and makes us work harder just to feel like we are barely keeping up.

Recently, the public debate over multi-tasking focused largely on cell phones and driving. On July 1, 2004, New Jersey became the second state behind New York to ban drivers from using a cell phone without a headset. Washington, D.C., has adopted a similar ban.

No one solution works for everyone. Try them all, and then choose those that work best for you:

* Better estimate the time it takes to complete a task. For instance, list the tasks you plan to complete during a four-hour period and write down how long you think each task will take. Then, time yourself. Find the percentage by which you underestimate, and adjust your expectations accordingly.
* Write things down. Offload what's on your mind onto paper. Keep a pad of paper and pen by your bedside and write those thoughts that either keep you up, or wake you up, in the middle of the night. I get my best ideas in the middle of the night and write them down so I can get back to sleep peacefully. The only caveat here is have big paper. I tend to write my thoughts one atop the other in the dark!
* Allow yourself to complete a task which is the most productive way to work.
* Remove distractions: close your door (if you have one), do not check your e-mail, and turn off the ringer on your phone, cell phone, pager, and fax.
* Schedule down time for yourself. Do something different by refreshing your system so you return to work with a clean perspective, and the ability to work more effectively.
*Remember to breathe deeply. We tend to breathe shallowly and by deep breathing we relax in spite of ourselves.

Do these sound familiar? Many are techniques for de-stressing and rightly so. Multitasking is stressful. Technology can multitask forever. Humans cannot.

I find the following fascinating since at this moment while I'm creating this article I'm interrupted by phone calls, e-mails, staff, and my mind reminding me what is left in my Daytimer to be done today!

How do we do it? Research shows that the ability to multi-task stems from a spot right behind the forehead. That's the anterior part of the region neuroscientists call the 'executive' part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. When we assess tasks, prioritize them, and assign mental resources, these frontal lobes are doing most of the work.

This same region of the brain is where we pull off another uniquely human trick that is key to multi-tasking 'marking' the spot at which a task has been interrupted, so we can return to it later. It reminds me of the Bookmark function in Word, bringing you back to where you left off in a document.

However, the prefrontal cortex is the most damaged as a result of prolonged stress, particularly the kind of stress that makes a person feel out-of-control and helpless. The kind of stress, for example, that you might feel when overwhelmed by the demands of multi-tasking.

Such stress also will cause the death of brain cells in another region:the hippocampus, which is critical to the formation of new memories. Damage there can hobble a person's ability to learn and retain new facts and skills.

When a person multi-tasks well, without errors or disastrous results, it is usually because one or more of the tasks engaged in has become automatic.
For example, I can eat lunch and read the newspaper at the same time, because eating really involves no conscious thought. I'm sure you can think of instances where you've had similar experiences. I hope you are not multitasking as you read this!

How to Make the Most of Your Long-Term Dieting Plans

After choosing a dieting plan and doing a detailed reading of the book that appeals to you the most, you will need to make the necessary intellectual and emotional commitments needed for success. Don't look at your diet plan as a temporary thing, something to discard or ignore once you've achieved your weight loss goal. There are several things you can do to help make the intellectual and emotional commitments to make your diet last a lifetime!

First, define your goals. Don't just think, "I've got to lose some weight." Pick a target, even if it's a moving target. Some dieters like to think in increments, for instance, losing 20 poinds, then then reestablishing a new goal until they arrive at a weight level they feel most comfortable with. Other dieters-to-be are more daring. Choosing a weight loss goal of 100 pounds might seem impossible for some, but for other dieters, it's their best and most direct strategy. Set a goal that you feel most comfortable with and stick with it.

Second, try to choose a realistic timeline for losing weight. It took years to put on those excess poinds. Don't expect to lose them all in a month! Get a good idea of how much weight you should reasonably expect to lose each week or month by reading your diet book thoroughly and following its guidelines.

Third, try to avoid as much stress as possible - especially during the earliest stages of a diet. Eating binges are often the result of high stress levels.

Fourth, buy yourself a good scale, preferably an accurate digital one. Be prepared to pay at least $40 to $80 for a quality scale. Be aware that some digital scales stop at 300 pounds. Some of the most sophisticated scales can also measure the ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass, referred to as the Body Mass Index (BMI). A Body Mass Index of over 25 usually indicates obesity, although variables such as height can influence your number. The Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control and Prevention (often called the CDC) offers a detailed explanation of the BMI and Java-scripted calculator to determine your own BMI.

Five. Weigh and measure yourself and write down the information for future reference. During the first week or so of your diet, try to avoid getting on the scale every day. While your body readjusts itself to this new way of eating, you might find your weight loss fluctuating or even stalling. This can be discouraging. If you absolutely must jump on the scale daily, do so at the same time each day, for instance, immediately after waking up. Your weight can fluctuate, up or down, by a pound or two durng the course of the day.

Number six. For an added visual reference and to really solidify the intellectual and emotional commitments required for your long-term dieting success, get a friend or companion to take a photograph of you each week. Do a front, back, and side shot. A digital camera works exceptionally well here since you can quickly compare photos of yourself from day one of your diet through your entire regimen. This visual enforcement of your efforts can be a great encouragement.

Seven. Let friends and family members know that you are on a diet. Support, understanding, and encouragement can be great things when you are embarking on creating a new you!

Finally, recognize 'toxic' friends. No matter how much weight you're losing, no matter how much your cholesterol has fallen, no matter how many pants or dress sizes you've lost, expect a friend (or relative) to continue to tell you how bad your diet is for you. There are enough studies available in medical journals and respected websites that prove the validity of making LIFESTYLE diet changes. These same studies encourage a balanced diet and many now encourage some level of supplementation. Nutritional supplementation makes sure your body has all the tools and raw materials it needs to keep you in top shape during your body's transformation.

Women Menopausal Changes

When women go through the change of life, it could bring on heart disease as well. The clotting agent fibrinogen (a soluble protein in the blood made by the liver and made insoluble because of damage tissue), increases when a woman is post-menopause; the body experiences less estrogen production and the cholesterol levels changes, thus the change of life. Estrogen is a protective factor against heart disease for women, until menopause, at which time it declines, thereby removing the protection. The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center explains the connection between women and heart disease and menopausal changes.

The amount of risk caused by each change is unknown, but in most cases there is a greater risk with each change. Heart disease is two to three times greater after menopause than before. These same risks are in women who have had a hysterectomy as well. More women over the age of sixty die of heart attacks than men; women's symptoms are different than men and are often mistaken for something less serious.

Wake Forest University-Baptist Medical Center suggests reduced levels of estrogen caused by stress increase risk of heart attacks and strokes. Stress can cause damage to arteries, thus creating problems. Heart disease includes the narrowing of the arteries that bring oxygen to the heart, inborn defects, diseases of the heart muscles and heart failure. Two hundred and fifty thousand American women die each year from this disease and, as women age the risk increases. It is the leading killer in America.

Doctors in the past, treated women with hormone replacement therapy to prevent heart disease during menopause and post-menopausal. After a study of women and heart disease it was confirmed that this therapy was not the right treatment for heart disease prevention.

A new study revealed that women taking hormone replacement therapy medication containing female hormones, commonly estrogen plus progestin (synthetic progesterone), health risks exceeded the health benefits and the study was stopped early. There were 161,809 women, ages ranging from 50-79. Breast cancer increased 26%, heart attacks increased 29%, strokes increased 41%, and blood clots increased more than 50%.

However, the study did show 34% fewer hip fractures and there were other benefits. The risk factor s outweigh the benefits. For a short-term treatment, some women may consider HRT, but it should be based on individual health history. To read the full report: Medline Plus-Encyclopedia

There are other things that will help women to adjust to menopause and have a healthy heart. They are to stop smoking, maintain the proper weight, exercise regularly, cut down on the fatty foods, keep an eye on your cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. According to The Nurses Health Study, folic acid, B-6 and B-12 played a role in reducing the risk of heart attack or death among women of heart disease when one group consumed more food and supplements than the other group.

If hormone replacement therapy is chosen, remember to eat healthy and exercise which will maintain healthy heart muscles. Be sure to have regular check-ups and call your health care provider if anything unusual occurs.

Parent of A Teen? Help Is Available

Was it just a few years ago that your child was a lovable, huggable and kissable angel? After the thrill of having a new born in the family, having the biggest life altering experience you can ever expect, and thinking that it's the best thing that ever happened to you and your husband.

Suddenly your child is in his or her teens, and while you may think that nothing quite prepared you for your first new born, living with your teenage child is a whole new experience.

Are you new to the game of teenage parenting?

Parenting can be the most rewarding aspect of our lives.

There's truly nothing like hearing your child laugh, or witnessing their first soccer goal, watching them going off on their first date... You'll be amazed at how proud you are. It truly is an incomparable experience.

However, not every aspect of teenage parenting is simple and fun. In fact, some experiences can be rather difficult to say the least. Sometimes it feels that you are knocking yourself against a wall. The child that you cradled in your arms, the child that snuggled up to you during bedtime, now has become a 'mute', answering in grunts and no longer wishes to be around you.

Regardless, it's important to remember that you're not alone. After all, this is the information age. An abundance of solutions are right at your very fingertips. I'm talking about the world-Wide-Web.

While the Internet is of great help to globalization and businesses, they are great for the individuals as well, parents included.

Have you checked out any good parenting message boards lately? This could be a good source of help.

Who came up with parenting message boards? I do not know and am certainly not complaining. This is a very cool nuance to the teenage parenting game.

We could all use a helping hand now and then, or possibly some knowledgeable advice for a fellow parent.

As a parent, we often encounter inevitable disagreements with our teenagers. Don't worry; this is all part of the growing-up process. Children have been rebelling since the beginning of time and it is not going to change any time soon. Once they hit that know-it-all stage, you're really in for it. The teenage years are the toughest years. But like what they say, like gold refined through fire, if we get through the teenage years of our children positively, the impact on our relationships will be a lasting one.

Help is just around the corner. In fact, it's at the click of a mouse. That's the up-side of the help we can receive now days. With your home computer close at hand, you can always refer to parenting message boards for advice. These are handy websites where parents can chat and offer each other a helping hand.

Are you in some serious need of advice regarding your teen? You're certainly not the only one. When my children were in their teenage years, they always gave me a hard time on a regular basis. I've found that it's inescapable, but manageable if you learn how to react, or not react at all.

There are many ways to get started searching for parenting message boards to lend you some advice. Or perhaps, because of your experiences, you may have loads of useful information to offer. Regardless, you can jump online today and search for parenting message boards under Google.com or any of the other search engines.

Get those priceless answers on parenting now. With parenting message boards you can do more than just get good, solid and valid advice. You can also make new friends. Friends that can share, laugh, cry and encourage you together as you bring up your teen.