Multi-tasking is so ' 90s
I have this running argument with my 15-year-old niece, an honor roll student, about her study habits. When she does homework on the computer, she is constantly interrupted by the beep of IMs from her friends, which, of course, she has to immediately answer. As if that's not enough, she usually has music in the background and a phone stuck to her ear.
There is no way anyone can learn with so many distractions. But she scoffs at my suggestion to turn off, turn down, and focus. What's more she claims that everybody -- sound familiar? -- does it.
I don't believe that for a minute. Yet plenty of my friends complain that they must swoop down on their own kids for doing the same.
We need a campaign: Multi-tasking is bad for your health.
There is no way anyone can learn with so many distractions. But she scoffs at my suggestion to turn off, turn down, and focus. What's more she claims that everybody -- sound familiar? -- does it.
I don't believe that for a minute. Yet plenty of my friends complain that they must swoop down on their own kids for doing the same.
We need a campaign: Multi-tasking is bad for your health.
posted by Ana Veciana-Suarez at 8:41 AM
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5 Comments:
We have taugh our children well,
driving down US 1 people (sadly sometimes me included)are, making phone calls, putting on makeup, yelling at their children, eating and shaving, all while safely(?) driving.
I actually think that learning the art of multitasking is critical to a person's future success. I am a lawyer in a large law firm and I am challanged daily on my ablility to mulitask. It is painful, nevertheless, a reality.
I too am a lawyer in a large law firm, and I think that if clients actually knew how much multitasking detracts most lawyers from given their clients the best of the lawyers' services.
It ought to be considered malpractice; a client deserves one's focus 100% when a lawyer is working on that client's affairs, but modern law-firm economics de facto requires working simultaneously on multiple clients' matters.
But writing an e-mail on one matter while discussing another matter with a colleague while on a conference call (with the mute button pressed, so no one knows) regarding a third matter and trying to review a document on a fourth matter and fielding Blackberry and cell phone contacts on additional matters is hardly giving decent service to any of these clients.
Look at the studies that show that driving while using even a non-handheld cell phone are as dangerous as using a handheld... We're kidding ourselves to think we can do all these things and still do them all (or any of them!) satisfactorily. It's just macho BS, as if by sheer force of will we can continually hammer out 48 hours from a 24 hour day.
This society is heading for a crash if it keeps deluding itself that successful routine multitasking actually is possible -- but unfortunately, so many folks still do believe it to be possible that the rest of us have no choice but to keep dancing as fast as we can to keep up with everyone else -- until the inevitable burnout or mess-up occurs.
Meanwhile, are we really any happier as a society than we were in the pre-multitasking days, say, the '70s or '80s?
i consider myself the queen of multi-tasking. my friends and family are always in awe at how i can do 3 things at the same time and do them all well. i don't multitask b/c i like it. i multi-task out of sheer necessity. sometimes there really is not enough hours in the day for us to complete all the tasks for which we are responsible.
while i do agree that the ability to multi-task is important in today's world, i also believe that there are some things that cannot be and should not be multi-tasked. One thing is to multi-task folding laundry while chatting on the phone or watching a movie, and another is to multi-task reading a document at work.
Multi tasking a mindless chore or routine such as folding laundry does not detract from my focusing on the conversation on the phone or from capturing the plot and details of a movie. However, i think it is ludicrous for any of us to think that you can read a document at work, email a client, and listen to a conference call all at once, and do each of those things well. At some point, you either missed something important on the call, or you missed an important detail in the document, or worse, you emailed something to your client that was said in the conference call. at least one of those functions will not be done well to the detriment of your client, and to your own detriment as a lawyer (i'm one too, so i know).
and i truly believe the multi-tasking is also hurting us in our personal relationships. i have been repeatedly accused by my boyfriend of not "listening" or paying attention to what he is speaking to me about specifically b/c i was multi-tasking while on the phone and became distracted by the other task i was completing. and you know what? he was right. i was not listening and i was not focusing on what he was saying. and he deserves better, just as our children, friends, and family all deserve better. they deserve that our attention, whenever it is given, be given 100% to them.
I'm not a lawyer, but I am glad to see that there are some lawyers that still care about there clients. I would want my lawyer giving their undivided attention when working on my case. i understand that multi-tasking is something we all have to do, but there are still certain things that we should do without multi-tasking
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