Interruptions and Murphy's Law
By shelagh77
@shelagh77 (3643)
July 26, 2007 12:32pm CST
Murphy's Law states that the harder we work to try to complete a task under pressure the more interruptions we will suffer whilst trying to complete the task.
Do you think we really do get more visitors, distractions, power cuts, breakdowns, shortage of materials etc when we are racing to get a job done to a time limit, or do we just notice every little thing that much more?
5 responses
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
16 Nov 07
Well you sort of do have a subconscious schedule, as waking late makes you feel pressed for time. I have been busy reading the "how to manage difficult people" and "time management" books and I am using the broken record technique - ie tell them until they are so sick of the sound of your voice they give in - that if people want me to build web sites, make promotional literature and generally make nice meals and keep the laundry done then I need time to do all this. It is slowly working lol.
@raydene (9871)
• United States
26 Jul 07
Well my problem is that I am not always prepared when I start a job so I have to stop to get things but that is ok with me because then I do not tire myself too quickly. It is very hat here today so I'm not doing many jobs! I'm just doing indoor things.
Hug to you friend
1 person likes this
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
16 Nov 07
I agree it is important not to overtire ourselves. I just had a three week period of spending more time asleep than awake just because I over did things.
I have a corner of the bedroom where I have my desk and everything I use is in this area so I am pretty much covered there.
The door bell system obligingly broke down last week and although I was sad to miss one friend I certainly received fewer interruptions :-)
@rainbow (6761)
•
28 Jul 07
Murphy lives at my home, along with collection of gremlins, mischieious imps and assorted dopplers. If I have lots to do they reap havok in the name of entertainment but if I am lazing around with nothing to do even the telephone termite goes to sleep. This does not happen often, lol!
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
16 Nov 07
Well Murphy must be able to be in two places at once then because the Marlot is here 24/7 too! Even the gremlins sit down to lunch here, sigh.
I have a feathered gremlin aka Little Lady the rosella bird nestling in amongst my silk flower display right at this moment. No point in shifting her, she has already wrecked the thing!
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
26 Jul 07
I think the stress we are under does make us notice every litle thing more but I also think more things will go wrong depending on the exact situation.
Like as a mom with little ones at home I know that the more I'm running late the slower the kids will go, the more shoes will be lost, juice will be spilled, tantrums thrown, and carseats that will not coperae...LOL and honestly just while I was typing this all heck broke loose here! The little one had been playing nex to me so I snuck on here for a little while while theo lder ones played. Then the little one tipped over the waste basket, everyone else came running in and tried to climb in the chair with me, one bumped an elbow....
I've los my whole train of thought now but I do agree with you about this happening and I think both theories are at work.
1 person likes this
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
16 Nov 07
Yes, I suppose we do notice interruptions and hold ups more if we are in a hurry. I am sorry that I passed on the Murphy Law to you whilst you were replying. Strangely as I started this Other Half came dashing in to tell me the Yorkshire pudding has escaped its container and is stuck to the roof of the oven. Well, at least it rose!
However, quite why it is my problem that it is stuck to the oven escapes me . . .
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
16 Nov 07
Back in our working for someone else days, when emergencies were the norm, I used to tell myself it was just my imagination, but increasingly it appears that there really are more distractions when we are doing something under pressure and that is the very reason why we are doing it under pressure in the first place. If it not an "emergency" then we can tackle each task in an organized way, with every tool laid out and ready. The tasks I've had to do under pressure were always those somebody else started, botched, and then handed over to a cooler head at the last minute while everybody and everything else wanted attention, too. Score one for Murphy's Law as to the people. The power cuts? Those might just be a coincidink.
