I found this post by Toby Somerville on the SitePoint.com blog that adds more weight to the argument against multitasking.
Multitasking is a mythical construct that assumes everybody can and should do everything in their life or business themselves. All they have to do is make sure they do a little of everything all day, everyday.
I am a staunch opponent of this thinking and believe that we only do good work when we are focused on one thing at a time. I am always glad to read more evidence that I’m not out of my mind.
Read “Why Multitasking Is A Waste Of Time”
Best,
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[tags]time management,multitasking,focused concentration,productivity,sitepoint.com,toby somerville[/tags]
Jeff,
While I understand Toby's point, I have to disagree with the premise. It assumes that everyone should conform to ONE way of doing things. The research people keep bandying about does not take into account, for example, the ADD brain which is wired to multi-task BIG time. It's impossible for someone with ADD to do only one thing, unless that person goes into hyper-focus mode.
The other problem I have with Toby's article is that a lot of things are all lumped together and called multi-tasking that aren't necessarily. By definition, multi-tasking is doing more than one thing at a time.
Taking a walk and talking on your cell phone is multi-tasking.
Watching TV and painting your toenails is multi-tasking (well, not YOUR toenails, Jeff, unless you've gotten into that since we last talked). LOL
Reading a book while eating is multi-tasking.
Tweeting on Twitter off and on, doing research on the 'net, and listening to music or “watching” = listening to something on TV, is multi-tasking.
Flitting from one thing to another is NOT. Now, perhaps some people CLAIM they're multi-tasking when they flit from thing to thing, but that's not the meaning of the term.
There is a kind of rhythm to successful multi-tasking. I've had days where I didn't get anything done because I was too distracted with too many things pulling at me. I admit that freely. But that wasn't because of multi-tasking, unless you count have 15 Firefox tabs open at the same time. LOL
The issue was my not having a plan. When I take the time to map out — if only in my mind — what I want to accomplish, I don't spin my wheels in the sand. So the real culprit here is NOT multi-tasking at all. It's not having a plan of what needs to be done.
Now I won't be so arrogant as to say that's the issue with everyone else. Then I'd be as guilty as those who want to throw out multi-tasking because a lot of people don't do it right.
My point is, our brains and how they work and our personalities and their quirks are NOT one-size-fits-all. To unequivocally say that multi-tasking is wrong for everyone is like saying we all should eat only traditional (not American take-out) Chinese food because it's good for you.
Panning multi-tasking is merely Toby's opinion and Toby's personal preference. If it works, by all means people should go for it.
And if anyone is flitting from thing to thing and not getting anything done well, there is definitely a need for either a plan or some other solution.
Let's just not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Thanks for picking this topic and giving me a chance to vent. I feel much better now. *grin*
Deb Gallardo
Deb,
I'm sorry but I should have qualified my endorsement by saying that I believe this approach is the best way for Non-ADD internet marketers. I have heard so many people talk about working like a dog and not getting anything done and almost every time it's because they think that having ten projects in front of them means they're making progress when they're really just avoiding doing the things they don't want to.
Other than being suspicious of the diagnosis of ADD in children, I do not pretend to understand the disorder at all.
I will say that I agree to disagree with you that I don't believe in my heart there IS an effective way to multitask. Time and time again, I see evidence that trying to focus one's attention on even two things at once can be disastrous. I'll only cite the increasing public outcry for banning of cell phone use while driving.
Having said that, I will agree with you that everybody processes information in a different way and no one-size-fits-all can work for everybody. I would, however, recommend to my readers that they attempt to limit their multitasking to see if it works for them.
I further agree that not having a plan makes the rest of this discussion a moot point because without a goal the journey gets derailed in a hurry.
Thank you for taking the time to help me consider the ADD-challenged readers. My goal is always to present information I think all readers could benefit from.
Best,
Jeff
Jeff
Deb,
I'm sorry but I should have qualified my endorsement by saying that I believe this approach is the best way for Non-ADD internet marketers. I have heard so many people talk about working like a dog and not getting anything done and almost every time it's because they think that having ten projects in front of them means they're making progress when they're really just avoiding doing the things they don't want to.
Other than being suspicious of the diagnosis of ADD in children, I do not pretend to understand the disorder at all.
I will say that I agree to disagree with you that I don't believe in my heart there IS an effective way to multitask. Time and time again, I see evidence that trying to focus one's attention on even two things at once can be disastrous. I'll only cite the increasing public outcry for banning of cell phone use while driving.
Having said that, I will agree with you that everybody processes information in a different way and no one-size-fits-all can work for everybody. I would, however, recommend to my readers that they attempt to limit their multitasking to see if it works for them.
I further agree that not having a plan makes the rest of this discussion a moot point because without a goal the journey gets derailed in a hurry.
Thank you for taking the time to help me consider the ADD-challenged readers. My goal is always to present information I think all readers could benefit from.
Best,
Jeff
Jeff