Slashdot Mirror
Hooked On Gadgets, and Paying a Mental Price
Zecheus writes "In the New York Times: 'Scientists say juggling e-mail, phone calls, and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.'"
I'm sorry, can you repeat that, I lost my train of thought. My crackberry just buzzed and I had to read an important email. By the way, tomorrow's department lunch is canceled.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
As soon as I finish checking Techmeme and Twitter.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
It was too long to read.
Read the article? Who are you kidding?
Also I think that... wait what? Hold on, I'll be right back
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
If you want to be good at multi-tasking, practice multi-tasking.
If you want to be good at focusing, practice focusing.
If you want to be good at both, practice both.
There is no false dichotomy that you can only be good at one or the other, and neither one comes naturally. By nature we are only good at focusing on whatever attracts us emotionally in the moment, focusing on boring things, or multi-tasking on various boring things both take practice. So do what you want and stop worrying.
Qxe4
I say, let them wait. If it's important they can leave a message - although there's nothing that a normal person can tell us that can't bear being delayed for an hour or two. If they are prepared to do some work themselves, they can TEXT you, instead.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
I have no problems with foc.. Squirrel!
Addiction
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
I used to be a good programmer until I got into management. The flood of information, calls, and e-mails that came in seriously did a number on my brain. It felt like it was being remapped.
I've gotten out of that field, but I still feel the effects from it. Now I've taken to learning Russian. I think I enjoy it because of the concentration required.
In related news:
Research Suggests Brain Has a 2-Task Limit for Multitasking
Summary:
"The brain is set up to manage two tasks, but not more, a new study suggests. That's because, when faced with two tasks, a part of the brain known as the medial prefrontal cortex (MFC) divides so that half of the region focuses on one task and the other half on the other task. This division of labor allows a person to keep track of two tasks pretty readily, but if you throw in a third, things get a bit muddled. 'What really the results show is that we can readily divide tasking. We can cook, and at the same time talk on the phone, and switch back and forth between these two activities,' said study researcher Etienne Koechlin of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France. 'However, we cannot multitask with more than two tasks.'"
What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
TFA is wrong because
What does submit button do?
See Future Shock by Alvin Toffler:
Published in 1970 -- based on a 1965 article -- and still timely today.
-kgj
The two main studies highlighted in the article both suffer from a sort of self-selection bias: the people in the "heavy-multitasking" group(s) are there because of a chosen lifestyle. Perhaps the reason they multitask so much in everyday life is *because* they can't filter out information as well as the average person?
They can't help but be constantly distracted, so they suffer the downsides of multitasking whether they use technology or not. Deliberate multitasking might actually represent a coping mechanism for them, saturating their awareness with tasks and information sources that are at least somewhat productive, thus leaving no room for truly random distractions. Or perhaps priding themselves on their "multitasking skills" is just a way to paper over their inherent weakness and re-frame it as a positive attribute?
This article is immensely helpful (print link with pop-up):
No time to read this? Read this.
Of the three techniques mentioned, the "Pomodoro Technique" works best for me:
I start each day by making a log of things to do, then tackle each in 25-minute intervals called Pomodoros. When a Pomodoro is over, I mark an X on the log next to the item I am working on, then take a refreshing 3- to 5-minute break. Nothing must be allowed to interrupt a Pomodoro. If co-workers barge in, Mr. Cirillo advises trying to defer the conversation.
What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
Caller ID + voice mail means I can choose which calls to take at any time.
Cell phone profiles mean I can also choose which types of communication actually alert me and which ones are silent until I decide to check my phone.
Not having a Crackberry means that I check e-mail at a time of my choosing.
The "Later" button on my cell phone means that I can postpone reading that text until I have the time and/or inclination to do so.
Not having a smart phone means that I can be away from the internet and all that it distracts.
Not being logged onto a chat program means that I again have control over how people contact me.
It seems a lot of the problems being described are self-inflicted by our fascination with technology and being connected. It's a conscious decision to disconnect at my convenience and then to stick with it. Being 'always on' is the default state for so many people that they have no concept of not immediately picking up a call, answering a text, seeing an e-mail or doing any of the other things that distract from the task at hand. Multi-tasking is not easy nor do you get the same results as when you're concentrating on a single task unless it's all fluff.
The recurring PBS special "all things digital" had a segment on MIT and Stanford students who thought they were "so smart" because they could multi-task digital devices all the time. The PBS show reported an earlier version of the Stanford study showing these students were performing worse than their less-taxed associates. I am guessing that self-perception doesnt always match reality.