Multi-Tasking Secrets: Watch and Run

There are some shows on TV I just can’t get enough of – Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, So You Think You Can Dance (don’t mock it until you’ve seen it) and okay I admit it, Lipstick Jungle. Can such an inspirational drama that so realistically depicts NY city life for 30/40 somethings really not have been picked up again for another season? I’m being sarcastic but truth be told I will miss it. And not because I’ll miss settling down to watch a little TV after my kids are in bed and the work/school week is completed on Friday nights. You see, I NEVER watch TV at night.

I don’t really have time to watch during the week. I’m too caught up in finishing homework with my kids and making lunches, etc. for the next school day. Plus, my alone time at night has been diminishing as my kids seem to be going to bed later and later – what are they getting older or something? And then there’s the double whammy of 1) my husband (better known around here as the nocturnal night owl) who does his most productive work at night going strong until the wee hours of most mornings (ya know, the only time my house is quiet with no kids screaming, no phones ringing or doorbells chiming) and he and I usually need to confer and strategize together before his work happens, and 2) all of our reps are moms who start sending emails (and some even making phone calls) at night once their kids are asleep and their brains refocus post-mommyness for the day.

So obviously discretionary free time is limited for me these days. That said, I feel it is important to my sanity (not to mention my ass!) to work out and exercise on a regular basis. As of 18 months ago I gave up my local gym membership (time thing again) for the treadmill in my basement. I DVR all my favorite shows and get caught up watching them while I’m huffing and puffing and sweating out all those stress toxins. In fact, there has been many a morning when the draw of a new episode like Entourage has gotten me to drag myself out of bed on a Monday morning and lace up my sneakers! And, when all else has already been watched (or we’re in the dreaded repeat season), there’s always Oprah for a little inspiration, suggestions for a great new book or tips on simply how to dress and look 10 years younger!! I’ve also become very familiar – and I must say feel very current and hip - with new friends named Akon, T.I., Kanye, Paramore and Great American Rejects. I watch them too while obsessively flicking to and from all the MTV channels (I am an 80’s girl after all – MTV was born in my generation and I still think it rocks).

Staying current with popular shows and musicians makes me feel “in the loop” and less like the hermit I sometimes feel I’ve become – holed up in my office working, working, working! The one negative (actually it borders on dangerous) aspect of catching up on shows while running on the treadmill is that when watching the tear-jerker scenes of my favorite dramas, I’ve stumbled a bit because my vision is blurred by my watery eyes!!

But, “watching and running” is a perfect example of where I’m at these days. There’s not enough time to do all the things I want to do – so instead of forgoing or eliminating things I enjoy, I just double-up and do more than one of them at the same time. Humph… and my mom said that all that time I spent perfecting walking and chewing gum at the same time would never come in handy.