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Multitasking Drains Your Brain's Energy Reserves, Researchers Say (qz.com)
An anonymous reader quotes an article from Quartz:
When we attempt to multitask, we don't actually do more than one activity at once, but quickly switch between them. And this switching is exhausting. It uses up oxygenated glucose in the brain, running down the same fuel that's needed to focus on a task...
"That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel tired much more quickly than if we sustain attention on one thing," says Daniel Levitin, professor of behavioral neuroscience at McGill University. "People eat more, they take more caffeine. Often what you really need in that moment isn't caffeine, but just a break. If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee."
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
"That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel tired much more quickly than if we sustain attention on one thing," says Daniel Levitin, professor of behavioral neuroscience at McGill University. "People eat more, they take more caffeine. Often what you really need in that moment isn't caffeine, but just a break. If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee."
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
I find it depends on who's driving the switching. If I'm doing it at my own pace it's much less annoying than when some asshat is wittering or interrupting.
Maybe because I switch as I'm coming out of "the zone" anyway?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
dividing 100% into multiple parts and adding them together gives you back no more than 100%. Film at 11.
I farted while masturbating, and I was really tired afterward.
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
Once I tried to get first and second post at the same time and I just collapsed in exhaustion.
I was going to comment but am busy doing a few other things. Ugh, need a nap now.
Gimme a break gimme a break break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar... http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics...
Notifications from apps ranging from email, slack, Facebook, Twitter.
Just turn them off. You're back in control. My 'out of office' says 'back on Monday phone if important'
Define multitasking please...
Because in your definition if i am taking a shit and reading a magazine at the same time, i am switching between them?
Or do you mean that if I am playing a game and my wife nags me that she wants me to take out the garbage? Cuz that multitasking is very tiredsome.
Next news on slashdot, reading while driving cost more brain-cpu then driving alone...
Do you need extra brain-memory, try this upgrade guide...
I recently switched my work monitor from a 1366x768 to 3840x2160, and quickly discovered that the tendency to have multiple things open at once is eventually accompanied by total physical agony and extreme difficulty concentrating. After a few weeks, the 2-day weekend wasn't even enough, and I had to start enforcing a policy on myself of closing up any extraneous windows whenever possible.
Balancing the workspace aesthetic seems to help a lot, as well.
I am multitasking now. Typing and chewing gum and riding in my brand new CAR, a Tesla. Call me wunderkind. I plan on watching a Harry Potter DVD I just found, too.
I agree. Trying to switch between tasks has a huge overhead and the effort to regain focus is noticeable for me. Given the chance, I much prefer bringing all my concentration to bear on a single albeit complex task to doing simultaneous but simple tasks.
One could argue that if the task does not merit your full attention, perhaps it is not worth doing at the moment? How many workplace errors and even injuries occur because someone wasn't properly focused on what they were doing? No one questions the danger of texting while driving, yet there is a workplace expectation of multitasking in the name of productivity.
Multitasking is awesome for computers, not so much for humans. Work smarter not harder.
Some times, but not always.
When your heart starts to sound like a bag of potatos falling down the stairs.
And you have the feeling of having a group of overweight dancing amatures riverdancing on your chest,
Then It's time to take a brake (~14 days)
The place where i work we have an espresso machine like this
http://www.stellacoffees.com/w...
And someone have adjusted the grinder to the finest granularity which yields the most compact coffee pads.
Probably for maximum kickback.
Anyways after four to six double shots every day for a couple of months gives you the sensation of being kind of ten to twenty years older.
Not cool!
because taking a break essentially entails switching attention..
What is totally useless is to do several things in parallel. The old story of Napoleon being able to dictate a letter, read a book, have a conversation and lead a battle all at the same time is simply bullshit. Had he done so, he would had sucked at all of them, in parallel.
You know it's time for the next revolution when your rulers' names end with roman numerals.
Yes. I'll get back to you after a break.
This is absolutely my experience. Running a small business, have to joggle issues, people, client problems, new opportunities etc., and then of-course other non-business related things. Doing it in more than one time zone as well. Yes, it is draining, tiring, hard to do. I like running the business, I like building the services and products, I like dealing with every day interesting questions. I do very often feel overwhelmed, often procrastinate solving any one of the problems present because there is such a large number of them and they keep accumulating, sometimes it feels like a never ending stream of blows coming all at once that I just end up not dealing with any of them but then stay up very late at night because things still have to be solved.
This, mixed with a constant stream of client issues, personnel issues, unexpected expenses, clients not paying their bills, having to deal with paying all of my bills on time, etc., it is difficult to see sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel. So taking one day a week off from the never ending work, going to gym, wasting some time on this site is something that keeps me somewhat sane I suppose :)
You can't handle the truth.
News at 11.
I fail to see why there are so many studies telling us what we already know. It just seems like a colossal waste of money and manpower that could be used curing cancer or sending us into space.
Everyone i know is incredibly inefficient at everything, any minor task they start will be put on pause as they fine other related tasks, rarely if ever returning to the original task, and almost always putting huge amounts of time and effort into completely arbitrary decisions.
I don't know anyone that can focus on a single task without distraction anymore, and i know even fewer people who can prioritize decisions based on relevant factors and just go with "i feel like doing this now"
Trump has demonstrated it's quite possible to spend hours logged onto Twitter each day while also mastering the nuances of foreign policy, domestic policy and the economy, and of managing a campaign for the Presidency of the US.
Oh wait...
Context switching has a cost - film at 11.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
The CIA killed (murdered) the real EditorDavid.
...going to get my coffee. So win-win !
I have worked primarily as chief engineer or electrician on commercial fishing vessels, mostly in the Bering Sea. Generally it's 12 hour shifts, and the boat is in continuous 24 hour operation. Typically, systems that require simultaneous engineer attention include fishing hydraulics, power generation, processing equipment, propulsion, & refrigeration. When I first come to a new boat, I have these issues when I'm switching between these things. As time goes on, I develop a mental model of the specifics of the entire vessel, and instead of switching between different things, I'm paying attention to one, more complex thing. When that happens I lose this penalty somewhat. The problem comes when returning from vacation, because I want to enjoy the loss of penalty, but the model may no longer be complete or may be intermixed with models of other vessels.
>"Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?"
Yes. I find over multitasking exhausting in every way... mentally and physically. Often it can't be avoided, but usually it is due to artificial deadlines and unrealistic expectations by others. It makes a job so less rewarding- it seems like nothing really ever gets done and you can't be proud of the results. Sometimes it is better to just block things and get some stuff done from start to finish and move to the next task. And there is an inherent reward for having finished something and done it right than juggling 6 things for 10+ times as long.
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
Yes. For the past decade, since I graduated and joined the work force, I have told my boss that interruptions during deep problem solving is already a major issue, but if the interruption requires any amount of thinking, I will quickly burn out and may only get about 2 productive hours in. Other people I work with claim to not have this issue, but it's easy to see their mistakes increase quickly. I'm very introspective and consciously monitor my thinking. I can easily tell my ability to think has been affected, I can sense it in the first task switch. I know when to stop and take a break, while others keep on trucking and pumping out mistake after mistake.
In the end, I put in much less effort while getting out more value because I know when to stop. Extra effort beyond one's limit creates negative value at an alarming rate."I put in 12 hour days! Derp!" "Good job, now excuse me while I spend the next week cleaning up your mess from the past 3 days of binge coding. BTW, I noticed you have 40 commits with over 8,000 lines of code added and fewer than 20 lines of code deleted. I cleaned up your code and removed 2,000 LOC and added 500. And you have a lot of empty catch blocks." Mind you, these are not bad programmers, they just don't think strait when they put in too many hours. I guess the code technically works, so the upper management sees it as a win until it goes pear-shaped. And if you wait for the world to be on fire, you'll always be under the gun to create bandaids to "fix" technical debt, which just increases the technical debt more.
yes i need sugar or mary or naps one of the three any will do actually no goodnight
"My wife says men are unable to do two things at the same time, but that's not true. Whatever I'm doing, I have to be listening to her at the same time."
I must've missed that day in high school biology.
I avoid multi-tasking although scheduling disparate tasks in round-robin fashion is sometimes a necessity of work. I plan for serial tasking because I know how much concentration is needed to be efficient.
I've heard claims that 'x' people are good at multi-tasking: I haven't seen it; they carry one thought in their head at a time like me. Worse, I've seen them take the quick and easy (and wrong) answer too often. The obsessive multi-taskers are rare but easy to spot by how they never do one thing and always proclaim how much they've achieved, while doing a shoddy job of anything important.
Efficiency experts have been saying for a several years that switching mental tasks is time-consuming and thus wastes time. Students have been told for decades to remove and avoid distractions while studying. The main reason is probably avoiding procrastination but also to create a habit of concentration. This isn't a new fact, in reality.
But the burden is for me, she drains my energy reserves.
when it's being blown in all directions at once. "Multi-tasking" , ladies and gentleman, is a virtual shit storm. Literally. How could it be good for you?
According to this paper, bilinguals have an advantage when it comes to task switching. Also, according to this article, true bilinguals, aka "people who learned both languages in childhood, know them well and use them frequently throughout life", are the best at task switching.
Anyone have any anecdotal experiences that back this up?
Quit interrupting my daily dose of Slashdot to ask me for examples of things from my life. Interruptions like these make me tired. And cranky.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
It uses up oxygenated glucose
Jokes on you, my blood glucose is through the roof!
First of all, multitasking *is* being more effective and second, they are ignoring that multitasking over a period of years actually improves your ability to multitask. This is like saying riding your bike doesn't get you places faster than walking because it tires your legs out.
.Iprogram for two companies at the same time. I work on one project until I need to do a build or run a functional test. I keep notes on what I am working on so the switch is easier. I also switch less often if the current task is difficult to restart. It takes getting used to but now it is not so difficult.
I tried chewing gum and walking at the same time. Had to rest for a week.
Personally, my worst multitasking moments, by far, is when i have to have a conversation with several people, doing fast switch from english to spanish and vice versa. My english is far from bad and spanish is my mother language, but the fast switch of having at least two conversations, with different subjects and different languages is problematic and will eventually lead to answering to everyone in the wrong language
You should be wary of sample sizes of 1, but you asked for anecdotal evidence so here goes: I have multi-tasked various daily activities for the last 27 years, and I have found that taking a total break of roughly 8 hours every day helps. I come out of this (usually night-time) break period more refreshed than before and I find I don't need as much caffeine after the break.
What do I do with this break? Not only do I shut my eyes but I also lie down in a darkened room. I even lower my heart rate and activate specially developed wave modes in my brain that offer a combination of mental restfulness and reinforcing the learning that has taken place during the day. The really cool thing is that even new-born babies know this one weird trick to increase your energy levels - cosmetic surgeons everywhere don't want you to know this trick to look younger and feel more energetic!
But hey, I'm just some guy on the internet - you should take my anecdotal advice that such breaks are better than caffeine with a pinch of salt.
I knew I needed to stop reading Slashdot and finish my PhD when I started to miss articles by Bennett Haselton.
I work a job where I constantly changing what I'm doing as problems are identified that need to be fixed. As long as I keep busy i will not feel tired. If I stop to take a break, that is when I feel tired. I take a 30 minute lunch and that is it.
But everyone is different, so the article would be true for some, not true for others.
There probably isn't a better place to study multi-tasking then a 911 center, those people often need to multi-task between a Radio, taking phone calls, listening to the room, and reading/responding to messages from not only their room peers but officers in the car and much of what they do is very time sensitive and getting it wrong can easily lead to death of others. They often are working permanent overtime, and usually retire fat because yes sugar urges increase tremendously.
This is interesting, I notice that doing lots of things at once to me seems ok, it also seems to get results mostly because as a small business owner I can be seen to react to what is thrown at me. However, when the dust settles and things seem to be running 'on track' etc.. I am actually a total nervous wreck. I am almost looking at my phone to ring or waiting for the ceiling to fall in and work out what I should do and how to solve it. So this article does have some serious merit.
Also, notice that a Hair Dresser doesn't cut 5 peoples hair at once? - Jumping around from person to person over 2 hours....? No they only focus one person at a time, get it done and resolved - In all seriousness this is something we need to remember.
Also, I can't agree more with what others have said here, so many times a productive person has focus on a task and they reach a point of steady output, they get in a 'mode' and this is when they reach the 'oh that's it' moment... Graphic designers are a classic example, they need time to experiment and trial various concepts and that entire time is the most critical, it's then, when they suddenly come up with a logo or various design ideas etc. - Anyway, if you ask them when they get 'interrupted' with the phone etc they loose that 'wave' and it's TRUE it takes them ages to get into that again. So, multi-tasking on a specific project might work ok, like a music conductor, or business owner etc.. but, I think there is truth to OVER multi-tasking that leads to deterioration of actual productivity. - Interesting anyway.
How much you can/should juggle really depends on what you're doing, as well. If I've got various processes that require 5 minutes of work and 1h of execution (e.g. they take a long time to "run"), I'm not being very productive by take 1h5m to do task A, then task B, etc.
The more likely scenario though is that task A requires periodic attendance in 10-15 minute intervals. Usually I can juggle at least a few of these at a time and pop between them, accomplishing several full tasks within 1-2 hours instead of a single task every 1h.
Also known as compiling :-)
Can I just buy a box of oxygenated glucose at whole foods and mix it in my bloody Mary?
Higher Media Multi-Tasking Activity Is Associated with Smaller Gray-Matter Density in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0106698