Doing Two Things at Once

When I first experienced owning a car in the midwest, we had to park on the street. Our car would regularly get covered with snow in the winter, and that meant I had to clear the snow off the car and from the ground nearby. I quickly learned the value of starting the car engine before clearing away the snow, so that the car was nice and toasty when I got done. The car warming up also made it easier to clear the windshield.

The car warming up is an example of what I would call a "timed activity": something that requires a certain amount of time and cannot really be rushed. However, several timed activities are able to run themselves, such as watering the lawn, washing clothes, or running the dishwasher. While these activities are happening, we're able to get other things done. I like this because it gives me the sense of doing two things at once.

Although this may seem like an obvious concept, I have often forgotten to do the timed activities until I've gotten other things done. I am developing the habit of thinking through all that needs to happen in a certain part of the day, then getting the timed activities started early so that by the time they're done, several others can be done too. It can be fun to challenge myself to see how much I can finish before the timed activity is done. Although a timed activity cannot be rushed, it can be started sooner.

There's another strategy I'm working on. While the timed activity is happening, there are dozens of other things that I could do, but the best things are the ones that are related to the timed activity. For example, if I've set out sprinklers to water the lawn, I would meanwhile pull weeds or rake leaves. If I'm boiling a pot of water for dinner, I would meanwhile do other meal preparation. The reason is that if I'm doing something completely unrelated to the timed activity, I'll likely forget all about the timed activity and not be ready when it's done. It also cuts down on some stress by working in one area rather than trying to bounce between two areas.

Economy Flow Charts

I think I've learned more about economy during the recession than during my economics class in high school! Here's my simplified explanation of what leads to what.

1. People need money in order to buy stuff.
2. Without jobs, people don't have money to buy stuff.
3. If people don't buy stuff, many industries some some income.
4. When industries lose income, they have to lower salaries or lay people off, and the cycle continues.
   

Here's a simplified flow chart for taxes:

1. The government needs money to operate.
2. Government funding comes from taxes.
3. Without jobs, people don't pay taxes and they need government assistance.
4. When the governmenet has less income and more expenses it must raise taxes on others.