I used to think that multitasking was an important skill, something to be valued in the workplace.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned it as an asset in interviews, as positive feedback in employee reviews, and it might have even been on my resumé at some point.  But if you read David Allen’s Getting Things Done or this recent article in the New York Post about a book I’m currently reading entitled Brain Rules by John J. Medina, it’s clear that multitasking is not something our brains are capable of doing.  In fact, according to Medina, when we frequently switch context (Allen’s terminology) AKA attempt to multitask, it takes us twice as long to do something and our error rate goes up 50%.

My favorite example of an inefficiency caused by attempted multitasking in the office is when you catch someone not paying attention on a conference call.  A question is clearly meant for a particular person and all you hear is crickets, nada, the sound of silence.  After a short pause, the question is repeated but prefaced with the multitasker’s name to secure his or her attention.  9 times out of 10, this will elicit a response that may or may not be accompanied by an apology or admission of guilt.  Raise your hand if this sounds at all familiar to you.  Anyone?  Bueller?

So what’s a woman to do in order to avoid the pitfalls of multitasking?  The solution is simple, right?  Just say no!  Close that browser.  Turn off that iPhone.  Get out of Tweetdeck.  Just focus on one thing at a time.

Good luck with that.  If your office environment is like most, there are probably multiple ways for people to get a hold of you: phone, instant message, e-mail, pager, drive-by’s (what I call it when someone stops at your desk in person unscheduled), texts, the list goes on and on.  Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of ignoring a ringing phone or an instant message that’s just popped up on your desktop.  You need to take that call or respond to that quick question.

Here’s the compromise I’ve made with myself to mitigate the multitasking pitfalls:

• unplug as much as possible when working on something that requires a high degree of accuracy or is on a tight deadline
• only scan e-mail subject lines and senders when an e-mail arrives, reserving detailed reading of e-mails for first thing in the morning, lunchtime, and end of day
• look away from my computer for conference calls that involve a detailed discussion on an urgent or complex topic
• avoid checking my PDA while in meetings or while having in person conversations

I’m sure there is more I could be doing (or not doing).  What do you think about multitasking?  Is it a necessary evil or something that must be stomped out at all costs?  What do you do to limit the negative impact of attempting to multitask?

In the eighties world she is working with DCI Hunt played by Philip Glenister and his amusing sidekicks DS Ray Carling ( Dean Andrews) and DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster). In each programme they solve a crime and some sort of justice is metered out. This glimpse back to the eighties (if it’s accurate) illustrates how far we’ve come to overcome prejudices. These three characters previously featured in a series called “Life on Mars”, which I haven’t seen, but may try to in the future.

The second series of Ashes to Ashes is currently being shown on BBC television and the first series is available from Amazon. The first series comes as eight episodes and some extras, and it is under £10, which strikes me as very good value for money.

I’ve really enjoyed watching these programmes, which are accompanied by eighties music and bring back happy memories. If you’ve watched any good programmes lately, why not let us know.

I’d invested a lot of energy and emotional bandwidth into the idea of having a MINI E.  I even went and visited the one on display at the New York Auto Show, for which MINI had sent me two free passes.  But it was not meant to be.  Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed.

In the way of background, I’ve wanted a MINI Cooper since I was pregnant for my second child back in 2004.  I test drove my first MINI when I was five months pregnant.  The sales guy at the dealer must have thought I was insane as I adjusted the steering wheel around my large belly (your belly gets so much larger much more quickly with your second, trust me).  For the next couple of years, we’d tried to justify purchasing me a MINI, but it had never worked out.

My love affair with the MINI did not wane.

When faced with the truth that the MINI E was not going to work for me, I could have reacted by sobbing in my bedroom or kicking a door jam.  A good run or a glass of wine wouldn’t have gone amiss either.  But I did none of those things.  I was a woman on a mission!

The next day, I took a lunch break and visited the MINI dealer.  They had the perfect MINI Cooper S Convertible waiting for me.  I test drove it, so happy to be behind the wheel of a manual transmission car again.  I’d learned how to drive on a stick shift car, and I still prefer it to automatic.  When it came to making the deal, the price was in my range and I finally managed to get a hold of my spousal unit (he’d been in a creative meeting without his cell phone so it had been tough to get a hold of him) for final approval.  The deal was done, and I was the new owner of a car I’d wanted for more than five years.

So I picked up my new MINI Cooper S Convertible that evening.  I drove with the top down, despite the chilly temps.  The fresh air and the rush of wind felt amazing, and it still does.  Part of me still can’t believe that it’s actually real.  But it is.  And you know what? None of this would have happened if I hadn’t faced the disappointment of not getting to be a Field Trial Participant for the MINI E.  And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t kept my dream of owning a MINI alive, in whatever form I needed it to be given my current situation.

The moral of the story?  What’s holding you back from driving with the top down?  If one path to realizing your dreams is impeded, find another one.  Go over it, around it, or through it.  Life is too fleeting to short change yourself of your dreams.  Onward charge!

This month in our REVIEWS section, I reviewed the latest offering from the fabulously funny Jennifer Weiner, Certain Girls . This novel is a mother-daughter story, that’s also a sequel to Weiner’s very first novel, Good in Bed.

In honor of Mother’s Day, and because the nice folks at Atria Books have made it possible, we have FIVE copies of this novel to give to some of our readers in the US and Canada (sorry, the cost of shipping limits who can win).

How do you get one?

Leave us a comment on this post about your favorite mother-daughter moment (in your life). We’ll pick five, and let you know in our June 1 update who the winner is. Deadline? May 29th.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Well, if you had asked me five years ago what I’d be doing, I’d never in a million years have told you, “working in water.” My career before this was that I was a singer-songwriter – a professional singer – in New York, and also a pre-school teacher. And so, I was very far away from doing any kind of humanitarian work, or thinking about any kind of peace stuff, and then September 11th happened, and I was actually supposed to be in the building when the planes hit, with my - one of my preschool classes was downtown there, and it…it was the day that changed my entire life. It changed a lot of people’s lives.

How did that tragedy turn into a cause?
For me, whenever something like that happens, any kind of tragedy, I always believe there’s some sort of reason for it, some sort of inspiration that it’s supposed to bring me, some sort of light that will direct me in another way, whether it will be finding personal healing, or whether it be forgiveness, or…whatever. There’s always something there.

What I saw – and, this is what I chose to see – after September 11th, was that this tragedy brought all of these people together. It was amazing to be in New York at the time, and after September 11th, we could all of a sudden make eye contact again, and all of a sudden I could really feel like I was connected to everybody and not separated from everyone, and to know - before you would be in a subway and there were other people and you were completely separated from them, and then all of a sudden - we saw this in New York, and in the world, people were coming together because of their grief.

So, I needed to see that that was where the inspiration was. It was like, you know, this sadness brought all these people together. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could find a good kind of connection again, only this time in celebration of how we are all the same, how we all need the same things, we want the same things, and if we just connected with each other in some small way, it could be one step toward the realization of peace?

And so you wrote a song?
Yes. In response, I wrote a song, and it was called “We Rise.” And it was all about – it basically turned into this huge peace effort – and I had this idea that I wanted to have people around the world, on one day, sing this song from all over the planet.

So I set the date, which was September 21, 2004, and I dropped everything after September 11th; I gave all my belongings away; I went on the road with no money, and I just had this idea that I was going to start being a crazy troubadour, and I was going to start going around the world, and asking people to sing it with us on that day.

Did everything go smoothly, or did you have difficulties?
I drove through ups and downs of my crazy doubts, and I remember one particular day, where I crossed over from hope to defeat because I was in an incredible amount of doubt, I had sung this song for a whole bunch of people I’d just met, and I finished the song, and they were all crying, and asking, “What are you doing with that song?”

And I said, “I’m supposed to build a million-voice choir. I don’t know how I’m gonna do it!”

And literally, two days later, I was about ready to drop everything and go back and get a job, and the whole thing, but I got a phone call from a friend of mine, and she was like, “I’m at the United Nations. They just called your song the new world anthem. Listen.” And she put the phone up, so I could hear.

And I was like, “Oh my God! It doesn’t even matter. I have to continue this.” The song already had a life of its own, and I sort of fancied myself like Frodo, and the song was the ring and I just needed to bring it where it needed to go.

So you began your real journey. Did you, like Frodo, have a fellowship backing you up?
From 2003-ish on, I completely just have been trusting in the Universe, and I just found that miracle after miracle after miracle was happening. People were hearing about me and giving me airline tickets, strangers were giving me thousands of dollars before I got on planes so I could get to my next destination. I was landing in cities and having no place to go, and meeting strangers in the street who knew about me and took me into their homes.

And we’re not just talking in the United States, we’re talking internationally. Having somebody like Jane Goodall – I met her and she was like, “Gemma, I’ve heard all about you.” It was crazy because the song just turned into this movement.

So the whole Universe is your Fellowship in a sense. What kept you going, kept you focused on the goal?
One of the reasons I continued on the way I did is because I met this really wonderful man named Satish Kumar. He was a Jain monk in the sixties, and a student of Gandhi, and he walked to all these cities in protest of nuclear arms, in non-violent protest, and he invited me to sing at a conference he was holding, and it so happened that it was about water.

After I told him what I was doing, he told me about his guru, and how before anyone takes on a major endeavor they have to get permission from their guru, and the guru of course says “Yes, you must do this, but you’ve got to do it with no money, because you have to believe that all human beings are good, and they’re kind, and that you will always be taken care of.”

And that’s what he told me. And that story always makes me get choked up. He told me, “That’s what you have to do.” And I did. And I literally – by the grace of God – have been travelling around the world with no money.

And he’s why you began working in water?
Yes. Well also the reason…the reason our mission turned into water is because of the song, because to me, the song’s core message is that it takes a single drop of water to form a wave. And one thought, one action, one idea, one person, is that single drop.

Part Two of our interview with Gemma will run next week. We’ll learn more about the organization A Single Drop and exactly what they do to help people gain access to clean water.

As you scroll through the virtual pages of All Things Girl and our May/June issue, I hope you are able to appreciate the moments we are in the middle of a spotlight.  Each issue of ATG truly becomes more amazing than the previous.   First, our classics and representative of our theme: Writings & Arts. In Writings…. you will find short stories that make you smile and poems that make you feel whimsical.  I know you’ll recognize some names here in Writings….and will be thrilled at the discovery of some new talent as well. And what can I say about Arts? Art is just a treat!  Everything Girl is, as always, nothing short of wonderful.  You will find  an interview with our cover girl, Marsha Mason as well as our Man of the Moment, Hugh MacLeod.  In addition to wise words and thought-provoking ideas from our regular columnists, there is also an inspiring interview with Audrey Kaplan.  Be sure an grab a fresh class of iced water, with a slice of lime, when you sit down to read Everything Girl! And let’s not forget Reviews. You’ll find music reviews and book reviews.

As always, keep an eye on The Blog. You never know what you might find as the editors and columnists share what’s on their minds…..as well as a chance to win several books.

We’re still taking submissions for “On Display” by the way, but you need to be quick. We’ll have a mid-issue update June 1st and will be adding a few items here and there… If you are inspired to share your talents, submissions are open for future editions of All Things Girl – and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got!  We love to see when you shine in the spotlight.

Currently, 1.2 billion people do not have access to water and 3-5 million die of water-related disease per year. 2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation facilities and toilets. With the growing concerns of a world plagued with social inequities and environmental degradation, it is crucial for future of sustainability that we seek guidance and leadership from our natural caretakers: women. By addressing the environmental conditions that create gender inequity, A Single Drop (ASD), a humanitarian organization that provides safe water solutions in Asia and Africa, empowers women with the tools to transform their burdens into opportunities.

Why women? ASD targets women and women’s groups as they are responsible for the health and welfare of the household and have a traditional role in water collection. Women and girls are affected most profoundly by lack of access to water and sanitation. Women and girls are assigned the task of fetching water which can sometimes take all day. In Africa, women and girls spend over 40 billion hours per year collecting water. Hence, women do not have livelihood opportunities and girls cannot go to school.

Also, women are the primary caretakers of the family, so when someone gets sick, it not only consumes time and energy, but is also cost intensive from losing work days and buying medicines. In India, water related diseases cost the Indian economy 73 million working days a year. Studies have shown that without the pressure of collecting water, and when there are toilets in schools, the number of female students increases. Women with even a few years of basic education have smaller, healthier families, are more likely to be able to work their way out of poverty and are more likely to send their own children, girls and boys, to school. Each additional year of female education is thought to reduce child mortality by 5-10%.

Further health implications for women are injuries as a result of carrying one to two 20liter (5 gallon) water jugs each weighing about 50 lbs. Neck, shoulder and back injuries are common and in extreme cases curved spines and pelvic deformities can result, causing problems in childbirth.

Lastly, lack of sanitation facilities force the women and girls to resort to relieving themselves publicly at night leaving them vulnerable to violent attacks and rapes.

A Single Drop’s Women WaterKeepers program works with women in the Philippines and seven countries in Africa to provide them with the technology expertise, business skills, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education that will empower them to offer viable water services to their communities using sustainable practices. The technologies that we introduce can be implemented and built easily using indigenous resources and can be an opportunity for income-generation for the women. Technologies such as roof rain catchments and cement tanks to collect and store water, filters and solar cookers to purify water, among others. A Single Drop also helps the women to find seed funding to start their water service micro-businesses.

A Single Drop believes that when you take care of the women, you take care of the community. You can learn more about how to support the Women WaterKeeper’s program by logging onto www.ASingleDrop.org If you would like to contribute, your donation is tax-deductible. For more info, please send an email to gemma@asingledrop.org

As you wind your way through the digital pages of All Things Girl, I hope you find the explorations inspirational and life-affirming.   The foundations of All Things Girl,  Writings and Arts,which are representative of our theme. You’ll find new pieces if both  Writings  and  Arts section.  Everything Girl is a part of our magazine that always wows me.  You will find part one of our interview with Actress, Model and Singer, Danielle Savre as well as the interview with our sexy Man of the Moment, Eamonn Walker.  You will also find humor and inspiration through the eyes of both our guest and regular columnists.  Though we often put reviews here in the blog, you will still find recommendations in Reviews!

As always, keep an eye on The Blog.

We’re still taking submissions for the May/June issue, which is themed “On Display”. We love to plan ahead, so don’t hesitate to send us your submissions for future editions of All Things Girl.  I’ve already told you how curious we are and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

I’m hopeful that this issue of All Things Girls encourages you to embark into the wilderness and find inspiration in the oft seen and rarely unseen.

Simon Kernick’s book is very readable. The main character Tom Meron is likeable because he’s so ordinary; he’s an IT software salesman, married with two children. Out of the blue he receives an alarming phone call from a friend he hasn’t heard from for four years. The call alerts him to the fact that he is in real danger but does not let him know why.

He flees. The story is about his journey firstly to find his wife and then to find the answers as to why they are being chased by criminals who don’t just kill for money, they kill for pleasure. One of the most terrifying characters is Lench, Meron’s chief pursuer. He devises unimaginable tortures and has absolutely no redeeming features. Can anyone be that evil?

Bolt the main detective is a much more believable character, who is essentially a decent bloke but has some quite serious flaws. Meron’s wife seemed a bit far fetched to me. Not a character I could empathize with.

Personally the violence in this book is not my cup of tea but there is a good story and it’s a worthwhile read. It is a story with a good pace that keeps you reading, so if this is your sort of book, why not try it and let me know what you think.

Don’t forget if you’ve read any good books lately why not let us know.

I managed to get through my heavy bridesmaid duty years unscathed.   My brides were very laid back, chose gowns that flattered my figure, and one of them even asked me not to plan a bridal shower because she found them annoying.  I was lucky.

For those who aren’t or weren’t quite as fortunate as me, Liz Razin’s book, She’s Gone Bridal, comes to the rescue.  There are many challenges faced by bridesmaids today, some of which most traditional bridesmaid books wouldn’t necessarily cover in their various chapters on etiquette, party planning, and how to give a toast.  Liz’s book meets the needs of the modern bridesmaid and also entertains with great examples as well.

First time author Liz does a great job of helping the bridesmaid assess each facet of her duties and, having diagnosed the situation, gives sound advice for how to best get through the situation.  An example of this comes in the chapter entitled Stage II: Diagnosis.  She asks the reader to choose a classification for the bride to determine the best way to help and support her.  Since I’ve been a bride myself, I couldn’t help but wonder into which category I would fall.  My best guess was that I was an “I’m-So-in-Love Bride”, about which Liz writes, “Her response to being asked if she’s excited about the wedding is, ‘I just can’t wait to marry the love of my life.’  Try not to vomit.”

The I’m-So-in-Love Bride:  Her response to being asked if she’s excited about the wedding is, “I just can’t wait to marry the love of my life.”  Try not to vomit.

The overall tone of this book is one that had me chuckling out loud as I pictured a good friend sitting down with me over Cosmos and giving me the low down on what being a bridesmaid is all about.  What I particularly admired about the book was that it covered topics that are near and dear to many bridesmaids’ hearts even though they may not know it.  A good example of this is her chapter on overcoming Wedding Withdrawal (WW for short).  She addresses the feelings that result when the wedding invitations stop coming and the whirlwind is over.  After giving sage advice to throw away the old wedding invites (or lock them away if you are sentimental), she encourages the reader to, “Reclaim Your Most Important Asset - You”.

Just released today and definitely worth the read even if you aren’t the bridesmaid to a bridezilla, She’s Gone Bridal is a smart and sassy journey along a 9-step program that helps ensure a successful bridesmaiding experience while still maintaining one’s sanity and friendship with the bride.

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

There’s a saying that if you want something done, give it to a busy person.   I’d amend that to say if you want something done, give it to a busy person who applies the principles introduced in Allen’s book, GTD.  See my previous post.

• Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William L. Uri

Manipulation 101 (manipulation is not a bad word unless it is combined with unethical behavior like lying or cheating).  I often return to the sage advice of Fisher and Uri when conducting negotiations of any kind.

• The Art of War  by Sun Tzu

He’s brutal, but Sun Tzu’s nuggets of wisdom still ring true.  He covers politics, leadership, and strategy to name a few.

• Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard

Anyone starting out as a manager should read this book or take a course based on its principles. It outlines how to adapt your leadership style based on an assessment of your employee’s skill level to best enable top performance.

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Sometimes you just have to go with your intuition to make decisions or plan the best path to success.  Gladwell does a great job of explaining what’s behind snap judgments.

Your turn:  What are your must-read business books?

Being laid off in an economy overtaken by recession is not something the work force of today can tread lightly upon. Many employers are announcing that they will be experiencing cutbacks and layoffs due to the slow down in the economy. If this happens, gradually you will begin to see your co-workers and colleagues being asked to leave. In order to protect your position with the company, you are going to need to step it up a notch and figure out what you can do to prove you are an irreplaceable asset to the company. By following the recommendations below you are making a move in the right direction to securing your employment.

1. Speak with company execs - have a conversation with the executive who announced the layoffs. They are most likely the person to ask exactly what is going on and who in the company will be affected.
2. Ask to be transferred - if you are working in a larger company look into other teams. If you are not on a team that is not producing an income for the company asked to be transferred to a team that is. If cuts are being made the company will most likely keep any team that generates revenue.
3. First in/Last Out – show your managers what a hard worker you are by getting in the office and starting your day earlier then anyone else. Also stay later than other employees. You will prove that you are dedicated to your work and the company.
4. Be visible – make sure your managers and those above your managers see the work you produce and make sure that work impacts the bottom line of the company.
5. Volunteer – offer to work on projects that no one else wants to do.
6. Make a sacrifice – offer to take a pay cut or not take a bonus. This will prove to your employers that you have faith in the company and you are putting the company first.
7. Keep on innovating – we are not going to be in this recession forever. Come up with new ideas and projects that will make your employer come out on top once the tough times pass.
8. Prove your worth – Let your managers see what an invaluable asset you are to them and your team. If you need to learn a new skill go out and do it, be the go to person for everything on your project.
9. Become friends with executives from your company – what’s wrong with a little brown-noising? When times get tough and cuts need to be made make sure those who are making the cuts know your name.
10. Offer feedback – use your expertise to offer feedback on ways to improve the company and their product.

Together we can weather this economic storm. It might seem bleak at the moment, but there are a lot of bright spots. We’ve seen companies still hiring and opportunities for growth within our industry. If you do get laid off, make sure to take time to regroup and refocus.

Tawny Labrum is the Office Manager and Blog Admin for BINC, Inc. In between searching for top tier Recruiters and Researchers to join the team, she keeps herself updated on all the news going on in the Software and Recruiting Marketplaces. As a key contributor to the AskBINC Blog she is able to intertwine her views and opinions on the happenings within the two marketplaces and share them with the readers. (Check out their blog for more job advice.)

I took a couple of weeks off around Christmas of 2008 because things tend to slow down in my business anyway and my three young sons were on winter break. The problem with this idea was, I don’t do so well with time on my hands. During that break, I decided not only to do a year-long daily photography project for 2009, but to create a blog where I’d post a story a week with an accompanying photo. I’d never intended to create a flickr group or to collaborate with anyone; I just sort of . . . did.

Right around January 1st, I created the 52 Stories flickr group, and right now it has over 90 members. Many people dropped out after the first couple of weeks, but about a dozen hardy souls have kept up with it, posting late if necessary (I’m less a stickler for rules and perfection than I am a proponent of putting yourself out there and making something that sparks you).

The second best part about this group is that no one individual is at the center of it, and it’s kind of managing itself. Members are visiting commenting on the stories and cheering each other along, which is great. But the best part about founding 52 Stories is watching people who don’t identify as writers . . . writing. One has a strong voice I can see writing historical fiction someday. Another is chronicling his dating years leading up to when he met his wife, with a different chapter each week.

The photography aspect is fun and challenging too, but it’s really the icing. I enjoy collaborating and encouraging people to put themselves out there and see what happens, and those who are doing just that seem to be having a great time doing so. I encourage anyone interested to join in; I’m considering changing it from 52 Stories to PhotoStories after 2009.

Toni is a writer and dreamer living in Illinois.  Visit her Blog.