Going for the Juggler: The Art of Multitasking

Recently, I had to face a hard, highly inconvenient truth: I am not a multitasker. In fact, I'm not the best single-tasker, either. Believe me, I try. But the time has come to admit that I may never be like those perfect people out there who color-code their zillions of to-do lists and zip through them while I'm stuck in the drive-thru lane at Dunkin Donuts. Do I really, really hate these overachievers? Of course I do.

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Okay, I lied. I don't hate them, because many are good friends of mine. They're always sympathetic and do a really good job of hiding their pity.  Whenever I whine or beg them for advice--usually when I'm under some desperate deadline--they try their best to help me mend my scattered ways. "You just need to focus," they tell me. "You can do it. Block everything else out. It's not that hard. Really."

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I'm always psyched up after these cheerleading sessions. I have the best of intentions. But usually, I'm back to ground zero before it's time for that second iced tea. That's why, after my last self-imposed-deadline debacle, I vowed I'd become a champion multitasker. After all, everyone is busy these days, right? People have jobs and kids and parents and pets to take care of. They cook and clean their houses and volunteer and hit the gym. And somehow, they manage to get those fingers flying on the keyboard and get their manuscripts in on time. Do I qualify for special dispensation? Sadly, I think not.

I decided to waste/spend a bit of time researching how exactly I might become a model of efficiency. I was delighted to find there were plenty of helpful articles out there. But guess what? Technically, there is no such thing as true multitasking. The brain can only handle one task at a time.  Some people even claim that our minds can actually explode (okay, deteriorate) over time from cognitive fragmentation overload.

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Of course, that's not the full story. There are ways to work around that single-task thing. You can work on making your brain work faster in switching between tasks. And if you pair a challenging task (say, writing a book) with a less-difficult one (listening to music), it can work out okay for some people. (Side note: Agatha Christie famously claimed she did her best book plotting while doing the dishes.) Oh, and shocker: creating to-do lists, color-coded or otherwise, is extremely useful.

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The most important thing I took away from my "research"--not to mention real-life experience--is that Stress is Bad. If you're frozen and frazzled with worry about getting everything done at once, your productivity decreases. Breaks are necessary, and so is pausing briefly to set your intention for each new task. It's good to get up and move around, and chances are excellent you may have a solution for a problem (say, a pesky plot point) when you return, because you'll probably be approaching it from a different angle. Even nutrition and hydration are important (I'm including snacks and additional iced teas in here).

So I may never be a multitasking queen, but I guess I'll keep trying.  Maybe I've just been a little too hard on myself all this time. Baby steps, right?

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LISA Q. MATHEWS lives in New England but sets her series The Ladies Smythe & Westin in sunny Florida. She is currently polishing her multitasking skills by writing several new mysteries at once. Her titles include CARDIAC ARREST, PERMANENTLY BOOKED, and the very latest, FASHIONABLY LATE.

So who has helpful multitasking pointers or--even better--crushing tales of defeat to share in the comments?

Detective Fashion for Dummies

Today’s the day! FASHIONABLY LATE, my latest Ladies Smythe & Westin mystery, has hit the catwalk. My fellow Not Your Usual Suspects bloggers may not realize this, but I am now quite the fashion expert—in the realm of fictional detectives, anyway. (No snickering, please.) And I have to point out that some of our favorite sleuths are on trend and others are—how can I put this delicately?—in rather serious need of a stylist. So I’ve put together a quick run-down of a few sleuths who really stand out on the Hot list—for better or for worse.

Unlike most hardworking, real-life detectives who dress for the job, many of their book and TV counterparts spend a lot of time in the public eye, running around chasing suspects in expensive leather jackets and killer heels. And then there are others, including my odd-couple sleuths Summer Smythe, an impulsive twenty-something, and Dorothy Westin, a practical seventy-something, who might consider upping their fashion games. (Truth: the most fashionable character in FASHIONABLY LATE is a 6-year-old with a subscription to Vogue.) With that said, here we go:

Those Seventies Guys: Okay, so maybe the 70s weren’t known for fabulous male fashion. Kojak with the lollipops, Columbo with his rumpled trenchcoat, and Jim Rockford with the crazy-plaid sportcoats (you rocked anyway, Jimbo!). But the real-life Columbo cleaned up rather well for the Academy Awards with costume designer Edith Head:

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Nancy, Nancy, Nancy: Let’s get this hem straight: No one puts the teen queen detective in a fashion corner. She dressed impeccably and appropriately for every occasion, from speeding after crooks in that cute roadster to her equestrienne pursuits to being trapped in attics. But sometimes, well…her tastes ran a little on the boring side:

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Luckily, French illustrator Albert Chazelle had a different take on Nancy and her friends. Très chic, n’est-ce pas?

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Lob-stah Bibs and Liberty Scahves: Like Nancy, mystery writer and amateur sleuth extraordinaire Jessica (“J.B”) Fletcher’s style was also well-suited to every activity. Plus, she managed to look stylish and keep her cool as a female TV star in the 80s, so she gets extra points. Oh, and Angela Lansbury. Super-bonus points.

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V is for Velma, Veronica, and Va-va-voom: Velma, honey, we admired your colorfully-groovy choices in Scooby Doo. But may we suggest taking a few fashion notes from equally-unique fellow V-girl Veronica Mars?

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Nick and Nora Charles: No question, these two were always in high style, especially with cocktails in hand. Maybe substituting a few higher-energy outfits for those chic dressing gowns and smart PJ sets would be…Oh, never mind. 

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Plain Jane: Yes, Miss Marple, we know those tweeds and Wellies are all the rage for kickin' it in St. Mary Mead. And you may give Jessica and Nancy a run for the roses in the practicality department. But with all those house parties, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to live a little:

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Summer Smythe and Dorothy Westin: This odd-couple sleuth team recently hit the holiday fashion show circuit in glitzy Milano, Florida—and picked up a few game-changing (and lifesaving) style tips. Reindeer sweaters, awkward fishtails, and merry widow ensembles aside (don’t ask), there may be hope for these two yet!

About Lisa:

Lisa Q. Mathews lives in New England but sets her series The Ladies Smythe & Westin in sunny Florida. Her closet most closely resembles Jessica Fletcher’s, with a handy yellow slicker, an all-season trench, Bean boots and plenty of scarves. Her titles include CARDIAC ARREST, PERMANENTLY BOOKED, and the very latest, FASHIONABLY LATE. 

Do you agree with our Detective Fashion Police—or have any other sleuths you’d like to nominate for a fashion intervention? (Remember, we’re talking fictional characters here, not (ahem) writers!)

What’s So Funny About Murder???

Definitely nothing. Nothing is funny about murder, but I enjoy humor so much I need it in my stories. Especially my cozies because I need a break from the tension. I’m not a girl who listens to sad music or watches those Lifetime/Hallmark movies eager to tear up at the emotional trauma they drag you through. Not me. I prefer to laugh. I like romance and action also. This is how I ended up penning a cozy mystery. Cozies have all my favorite elements and none of the heart wrenching moments I so deftly avoid.

Another thing I love about cozy mysteries is the fact the murder is secondary to the story. Yes, it’s the catalyst, but it’s not really about the murder. It’s about the aftermath and the unraveling of a great mystery. For example: If someone from military intelligence stepped in and solved the crime, I imagine there’d be lots of blank stares and grunting, possibly even a confession. I know, I’d rather confess than face an angry soldier. This is not funny.

But what if the person digging around looking for clues is clueless? What if they don’t know what to ask or where to look? What if the only thing on their side is their lovability and desperate curiosity? I like that story much better any day. I really like it when women surprise the soldiers of the world with their audacity and persistence in the face of danger. Huzzah! Hear me *roar*

The process can be quite funny in a good cozy and I hope I’m in the right zip code on this with my story. I enjoy getting to know the sleuth as much as learning whodunit. I put myself and my girlfriends into the book, imagining us bumbling along and learning as we go. A steep learning curve is also funny to me. I am on this curve in most situations. I’m unarguably a jump in first and find out how deep and cold the water is next kind of lady. Makes life interesting. I hope my heroine makes this interesting too. More than interesting. If you join my heroine on her first adventure as an amateur sleuth, I hope you’ll laugh out loud and maybe until your cheeks hurt. 

What's your favorite aspect of a cozy mystery?