Misc. Ramblings

A lot of people like to think that they are good at multitasking. They believe that their minds are like computers that can, at least seemingly, do more than one thing at a time.

But, even as most computers don't actually multitask (except those that parallel process. All others time slice. That is, a computer works on one task at a time, but only for a fraction of a second before it moves on to another task. This switching occurs as such a rapid pace that it appears as if multiple tasks are occurring simultaneously. But it isn't.), neither do most people. At least, unless you consider minds that are split into conscious and unconscious. But that would be the subject of another post.

No, what I'm talking about is the business person in a meeting, while responding to emails on her Blackberry, while editing a complex memo. Or a student studying while watching TV. None of these tasks will be performed as well as compared to a person who is concentrating on one task at a time.

You can read this article on the perils of multitasking in the business setting (or this one) or this article about students in school. But if you really want to try to multitask (and I don't recommend this) then, like a computer, I think you have to learn to rapidly switch between tasks and attend to what is important in each task. One study of driver performance while also attending to, for example, an MP3 player, seems to indicate that people may be able to learn to do this. Up to a point. But pass that point, and bad things happen. The bottom line seems to be that things go best if you attend to only one thing at a time. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Aloha!