Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Autumn of the Multitaskers
The Atlantic: "Neuroscience is confirming what we all suspect: Multitasking is dumbing us down and driving us crazy. One man’s odyssey through the nightmare of infinite connectivity"
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6 comments:
If I had a dollar for all that people I've seen THIS WEEK texting and talking on the phone while they were driving I'd have enough money to pay my rent for the month. This article solidifies a lot of things that I think about in terms of technology paired with other things. I find that when I think I'm "multi-tasking" I'm not giving the same amount of attention to each task I'm "completing" though sometimes this isn't necessary. I also don't get it done as quickly. Either way, after reading this article I've noticed that when I do pair the two together it's usually with music to block out other people that are multitasking with things that distract me. Usually it's instrumental music that I don't pay attention to because there are no words. Very interesting article.
this article made me think of a somewhat embarrassing and scrary moment in my life. i was driving a car, but also eating a bagel and drinking coffee, but also changing the song on my ipod, and probably singing along too. While stopped at a light, i looked up and the man in the next car over took two fingers to his eyes and then straight out to the road, the typical eyes on the road signal. I realized that i had probably been swerving a little and driving a little crazy before the light. It definitely was a wake up call that i think many more people need as well.
i remember days of sitting in my pajamas reading a book all day, literally all day. it feels like so long ago. everyone knows that multitasking is bad for the brain, we've all heard it a thousand times. but its nice to hear how bad it is for the life. or the economy, or the relationship, or the family. interesting. very interesting.
I was just talking with some friends today how we often like to think we are so great a multi tasking but how much longer things take to get done while just listening to music. The most interesting point of this article I think is about answering a cell phone while driving. I'll admit I have swerved out of control on a snowy day most likely due to attempting to answer a call. I just find it interesting how out of line our priorities can be. You'd think that common sense would always dictate that focusing on the road would take priority, but when your cell phone rings you inevitably reach for it - in any situation. No cell phones on run crew? I wonder why...
This is why I don't like PDA's, especially when synced with calenders, emailing, etc. When I'm working on something, I want to be working on that thing and nothing else. Ii I have to pause and switch gears for whatever reason thats fine, but the idea that I need to be aware of every email I get the moment I get it is in my opinion absurd, and annoying. This may be in part that I didn't grow up with a cell phone or a computer [used a typewriter till I was 17] but nevertheless there is a fine line between having the capability to do something and having to actually use it.
This is why I bought my iPhone, to keep me on top of things, and because I was in NY and why not. But really people started multitasking because they found that people went crazy from looking at the same thing, or doing the same thing for too long. So there is a happy medium, maybe my iPhone will slow down how fast I am doing one task, but atleast I won't go crazy doing that one task.
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