A job-seeker shared an "aha!" moment in a workshop recently, and it got me thinking. She had been out of work for a few months, but she wasn't making significant progress. Her problem, she decided, was that she was following too many ideas and leads at one time and not focusing on one path. Focus, she decided, was the element she had been lacking.

The next day I saw an entertaining photo in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, submitted by a reader. The picture was of her granddaughter, multitasking as she mowed the lawn. Pushing the mower with one hand, the teen was sending text messages with the other and listening to tunes supplied by the iPod she held in her mouth.

Obvious questions occur to those of us past a certain age: Is it safe to operate a mower while sending text messages? Does it hurt the iPod to get wet? Will the lawn look good when this is all over? Teenagers, however, might skip the questions in favor of empathy: Yes, it's a drag to mow the lawn, and anything else you can do at the same time makes the job easier.

For those who enjoy philosophical musings, that brings us to one of life's key questions: Is it better to enjoy the journey or to focus on results? Should the teen hurry up and finish this onerous task or let it stretch out while she makes it more bearable? Or, as some philosophies teach, should she learn to embrace her misery and value lawn mowing for its own sake?

And what, for heaven's sake, does this have to do with a job search? Just this: Like the multitasking teenager and the workshop participant who decided she needed focus, job-seekers all have the same basic decision to make. They (you) need to choose between following a specific course of action or pursuing several ideas at once. On the micro level, the daily decision is about directing attention to one action at a time or multitasking.

I am not opposed to multitasking, nor to a multidirectional job search. Sometimes these are the best tools for the situation.

AMY LINDGREN

WORKING STRATEGIES

On the other hand, there's an awful lot of research that shows that multitaskers take longer to complete things and often do a poorer job. It seems as if some guidelines may be in order to help job-seekers multitask effectively. If this pertains to you, turn off the television and put the phone down. I need your full attention for a minute.

1. Be sure you can spare the time to multitask. If you are at the beginning of a job search and you don't need income for a few months, then pursuing multiple and different options may be fine.

The trick is to maintain control of the process. Make a timeline, and mark off one to two months for a multidirectional job search. Then choose a date by which you will focus on the best option or will meet with a counselor to help you choose a new direction. Remember that the fastest, most efficient job search will be tightly focused, even if it isn't as interesting to limit yourself to one thing.

2. Add networking to everything you do. Networking is the ideal multitask activity. You can network while waiting in lines, attending class, getting your hair cut . . . Anything that involves other people will provide an opportunity to talk about potential jobs or career ideas. All the rules of etiquette apply, such as listening more than you speak and not focusing a conversation too much on yourself.

As your job search progresses, you'll find that the more specific your job goal is, the more effective your networking will be. It's easier to ask about specific things than about generalities, and networking contacts can provide more helpful answers.

3. Never multitask while contacting employers. Writing a letter? Leaving a voice mail? Sending an e-mail? Shut the door, turn off the music, clear your mind and focus. If you're using a cellphone, sit down somewhere (not behind the wheel!) and dedicate the three minutes you need for the task. Decide what you plan to say, then concentrate on saying it well.

However else you decide to multitask, remember that communicating with employers is one activity that is never improved by splitting your attention. So don't do it while you're mowing the lawn, either.

- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecaree rservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.