First One, Then Another

From the Delta Enduring Tarot, the Two of Cast Irons (Pentacles); from the Southernisms Oracle, 'Go around your elbow to get to your nose:'

To do two things at once is to do neither.

~Publius Syrus

This poor server is being run off her feet - she's trying to deliver some orders while one man yells for his check and a woman demands her drink be topped off. A busy business is good, except when there are too few employees to help everyone. After a while, frenzied multi-tasking becomes chaos, like using a single trowel in an avalanche. 'Go around your elbow to get to your nose' is a phrase used to describe people who overly complicate things, such as adding so many details and offshoots to a story that the point is lost. When we're overwhelmed, we often have added distractions that keep us from being productive. As Lee Iacocca wrote, we need to prioritize: “If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.”