Waiting Well — A Case for Mindful Multitasking

People say multitasking is a myth. And they’re right—when it comes to doing several complex things at once, your attention can only fully focus on one task at a time. Switching back and forth usually leads to mistakes, stress, and lower productivity.

But there’s one way multitasking shines, and it has nothing to do with getting more done at work.

Multitasking can be one of the best tools we have for fighting anxiety.

We’ve all been there—stuck in limbo, waiting for news that matters deeply. It might be waiting to hear back on a big work proposal, a job application, medical test results, a vulnerable conversation, or news about someone you love. In those moments, the temptation is to hyperfocus. To sit in the silence, refreshing your inbox or checking your phone over and over, letting the “what-ifs” get louder by the minute.

That kind of waiting can drive you mad.

Recently, my husband traveled overseas for a global immersion program as part of his MBA. The schedule was demanding, and the time zones were brutal—we were often awake at opposite hours of the day. Still, we tried to stay in touch, texting and calling whenever we could catch a moment.

But then, while he was in a different country yet again, he developed an angry rash on his lower legs—itchy, red welts that seemed to be spreading. He called me, worried, and said he was going to try to find an urgent care clinic. But after that, he had to board another long flight, and I couldn’t reach him.

I was genuinely worried. My mind started spiraling through every possibility: What if it got worse? What if it was serious? What if he didn’t get the care he needed in time?

I couldn’t help him from 10,000 miles away. And sitting in that fear, staring at my phone, was only making it worse.

So instead, I chose to multitask—not to get more done, but to calm my mind while I waited.

I put on a funny movie. Then another. I cleaned a little. I straightened the living room. I folded laundry. I made myself tea and started crocheting a project that had been sitting in my basket for weeks. There were still anxious moments, of course, but giving my hands and my mind something else to do kept the anxiety from taking over.

When he finally called again nearly a full day later, I was so relieved. He’d found some steroid cream and taken a Benadryl and was already feeling much better.

It was a reminder to me—again—that so much of life is about doing what you can in the moment you’re in.

When we’re anxious, it’s usually about something outside our control. We want to feel like we’re doing something, but there’s nothing productive to do about the thing we’re worrying over—not yet. That’s when multitasking, even imperfectly, becomes an act of self-care.

You can still let your mind wander to the thing you’re waiting on if you need to. But don’t let it take over your entire attention. Throw yourself into a small, tangible task—something you can see or feel progress on. Straighten your office. Wipe down the counters. Write a thank-you note. Take out the trash.

One of my friends has a habit of grabbing a screwdriver and a container of disinfectant wipes when things get out of control. She’ll disassemble and clean everything she can just to focus her energy. Her mind clears, and her team sees her pitching in alongside them. Everyone wins.

Multitasking can even help you sleep. Someone once taught me a little game: when your mind is too busy to rest, pick a word—any word—and play with it alphabetically in your head. For example:

S – sandal, sanctify, sister, sassy

H – happy, hideous, helpful, hemp

E – exemplary, eat, ever, easy

I’ve never made it through a second word before falling asleep.

The point is not to accomplish something grand or profound. The point is to give your mind a way to step back from worry, even just for a moment.

So don’t use multitasking to rush through three projects and do them all poorly. Use it to let your brain take a little sabbatical during a stressful day. Use it to remind yourself: you’re still here, and life goes on—even while you wait.

Sometimes, the most peaceful thing you can do is stop trying to fix what you can’t control and throw yourself into what’s right in front of you.

Because eventually, the news will come. The answer will arrive. And until then… you might as well have folded the laundry.

🎧 Listen here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/transformationship/episodes/Waiting-Well--A-Case-for-Mindful-Multitasking-18-e35gq7q