Tuesday, May 12, 2009

THE MYTH OF MULTI-TASKING

COULD WE BE FOOLING OURSELVES INTO BELIEVING THAT WE CAN DO TWO…OR, GASP, EVEN MORE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME?

SURE… WE CAN CHEW GUM AND DO MOST ANTHING SIMULTANEOUSLY.
BUT CHEWING DOUBLE-BUBBLE IS NOT DOING DOUBLE-TASKING.
IT, LIKE MANY ACTIVITIES, ARE NEARLY REFLEX ACTIONS. LOW LEVEL, BRAIN-STEM TASKS.

IN THIS AGE OF ‘INFORMANIA’, WHERE WE WADE IN A SEA OF STIMULATIONS…WE REGULARLY FOCUS ON TWO THINGS AT ONCE.

BUT, DO WE TRULY SUCCEED?
MIGHT WE BE CHEWING GUM AND FOOLING OURSELVES AT THE SAME TIME?

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF
CONTINUOUS PARTIAL ATTENTION’ WHERE WE NEVER QUITE SURRENDER OUR MIND TO ANY ONE THING.

( SOME ACTUALLY QUESTION WHETHER WE HAVE RETAINED THE ABLITY TO FOCUS ON EVEN ONE THING AT A TIME, MUCH LESS TWO. BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY. )


THE SPECULATION IS THAT WHEN WE CLAIM TO BE MULTI-TASKING, WE’RE REALLY ALTERNATING OUR ATTENTION, HOWEVER QUICKLY, BETWEEN TWO ACTIVITIES.

A LITTLE DRIVING...A LITTLE TEXTING....A LITTLE DRIVING...

9 comments:

Joshua E said...

And each time we switch our attention, there is an overhead associated with the switch; time and thought are required to re-orient oneself with the "other" task. This overhead arguably wastes time. Maybe we are all addicted to the switching.

Anonymous said...

hi bruce,
i'm practicing meditation these days, focusing on the breath going in and out & i am aware of how difficult it is to focus on 1 single thing. i watch my mind go everywhere--to any place but the breath that i want it to stay on--& struggle to bring it back & keep it there.
your description of the way people do 'a little driving, a little texting, a little driving', is my idea of a road nightmare.
sincerely,
carol friedling

quicksand said...

JOSH
REMEMBER THAT OL' GAME OF MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE?

quicksand said...

CAROL

I HAVE MY HANDS FULL WITH METABOLIZING.

ben's friend said...

I don't get it! What's the problem? I regularly floss, text message, balance my checkbook, listen to Howard Stern and grab a bite to eat all while I am passing cars on the LIE.

quicksand said...

BEN

GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU FLOSS.

NOW, TRY PICKING UP TWO PENS...ONE IN EACH HAND...TWO PIECES OF PAPER.............WRITE YOUR FIRST NAME WITH YOUR LEFT HAND, AND YOUR LAST NAME WITH YOUR RIGHT.
NO ALTERNATING...NO BACK AND FORTH.......DO IT AT THE SAME TIME.
IF YOU CAN...YOU ARE INDEED A MULTITASKER!

ben's friend said...

Quicksand!

I am never one to walk away from a challenge. So here goes....

BEN'S FRIEND

There I did it!

quicksand said...

BEN'S PRANKSTER FRIEND,

OH YOU RASCAL!
KEYBOARDS, IS IT?

NEXT TASK: SOLVE A BASIC MATH PROBLEM WHILE ADDRESSING AN ENVELOPE.

mountainpalm said...

What's wrong with just being a lazyazz.............Why is it so important to do ten things at once.

Try chillin '.......clearing your mind, thinking inwardly........
Tomorrow, no one will call you to task if you don't call 15 friends, eat at irregular hours, and forget to floss.......
Too much emphasis on the little insignificant non-important things in life.!!!! I heard a rumor that you only go around once.......
Take a deep breath.........