A fact of 2 feet

8th April 2026

A fact of 2 feet

An African proverb says, If you have two feet, it does not mean you should climb two trees at the same time.

With information and methods available easily, everyone aspires to do everything. But should everyone really do everything? It would be so unfair to say we should stop multitasking, because how else are we going to survive in these fast times?

I know this sounds too corporatish, but let us circle back to the quote we started with. If both juggle continuously, the burnout will happen early. Our previous generation, the one that our parents belong to, had a method to live life. Choose a job, work for stipulated hours, and spend quality time with family. Their mantra was simple. But our general has a job, two side hassles, plus the price of doing everything on our own from scratch. And comparatively, we are too tired at half their age. Because we hogged when life offered us a buffet, we did not eat mindfully! In fact, we have overeaten. And that's why we are over-exhausted now. Our midlife crisis has happened earlier than theirs. And look at their energy today, it will put us to shame.



So, should we stop multitasking?
No. Even though they multi-tasked, we failed to notice. The only thing that has changed is the pace. They planned it well; we are miserable and need to learn from them.
Just last month, there was a family function, and my papa casually said, "In our age, we also worked and had responsibilities. We never missed any family function. Today, it's easy for you to say, "I have important work. I can't take a leave". It pricked me. But it was a fact. While there has been an acceptance of the fact that everyone prioritizes career, we are exploiting that privilege too much, I think.

Then how do we multitask?
Do it smartly. Plan it well in advance. Always keep advance work done so that there is scope to accommodate something new that has been cooking in your head.
Do not work round the clock; rest well. Keep your approach focused so that your attempts bear fruit. Execute your tasks based on the priority list and deadlines - the one with the earlier deadline should be at a higher priority.

This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.