The Soft Pitch

Multi-tasking is a myth – or so-said a brain researcher interviewed on radio a few weeks ago.  Her point was you may think you’re being ultra-efficient and doing two things at once, but what’s really happening as far as your brain is concerned is more like a fast game of ping-pong, your attention is bouncing between two things and you are never really giving either one the attention it deserves. That’s why people get in accidents while talking on the cell phone and driving at the same time. 

But in today’s world, we’re all so busy, how can we not try to get two things done at once? That got me thinking about other activities that have two purposes.  Is it the same?  For example, my daughter is supposed to go to the Grand Canyon in a few weeks with the YMCA.   It’s a combo fun, outdoors trip for teens AND they are going to put in some community service doing trail maintenance, reseeding burned out areas, etc.  The teens win, the park service wins, (and parents win by sending the kids out of town for a week!). That seems to work – they’ll split their time between fun and service and accomplish more in the long run.

I’m impressed when our Avnet employees do the same thing: they plan and host events that benefit our local communities and build relationships with our customers and suppliers at the same time.  For example, employees at Avnet’s Peabody, Mass., office have started a tradition of combining an annual customer appreciation day with a Toys for Tots drive.  In the Netherlands, employees joined with reseller partners to run a marathon that raised money for Kinderhulp, a Dutch organization assisting children in troubled home situations (I’d call that a three-fer – relationship building, raising money for kids and exercise!). 

That brain scientist might understand how the brain functions, but people clearly function a bit differently.  That’s the working smarter, not harder part. Here’s another example and full disclosure on my part.  In the spirit of trying to accomplish two things at once: that trip to the Grand Canyon?  Turns out the Y needs a few more kids to go on the trip and really help out the park service.  Got a bored teen at home who likes the outdoors and can use some CR on the college resume?  Check it out here  … they leave June 21 and mom could really use the break.

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