

The Myth of Multitasking (2008) [pdf] - roncox
http://faculty.winthrop.edu/hinera/CRTW-Spring_2011/TheMythofMultitasking_Rosen.pdf

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ambler0
This quote from James jumped out at me:

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over
again is the very root of judgment, character, and will.”

When people ask me what the point of meditation is, this is pretty much what I
tell them. You are training a certain kind of "mental muscle", i.e. the
faculty James mentions in this quote.

I know that James, in addition to being a major psychologist and philosopher,
studied world religions. That he would express this sentiment so plainly makes
me want to find out more about his investigations (since many religious
practices have a meditation component), and to see whether James himself
advocated meditation.

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rfreytag
Original source: [http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-myth-of-
multi...](http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-myth-of-multitasking)

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CrankyPants
"You can multitask? Fine. Then read a book and write one at the same time."
-David Weinberger, 1999

Obviously (the excellent) William James predates this by some time, but within
the context of the modern era, this sort of thing has been discussed long
before the Hallowells and Ferrisses of the world made their careers by
repackaging old notions.

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chris_mahan
I explain it like this. From downtown Los Angeles, drive to Las Vegas (5
hours) and San Diego (2 hours).

But in 30 minute increments: 30 minutes heading toward Las Vegas, then 30
minute heading toward San Diego.

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CrankyPants
I like that, though they'd need a Humvee.

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chris_mahan
They'll run out of gas and be in the middle of nowhere. (Kind of like what
happens when you multitask as a software developer)

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chimeracoder
Ironically, I have a feeling that this is falling off the front page so
quickly because most people don't have the time/interest to read through a
6-page PDF.

I'll pick out the paragraph that sticks with me the most:

> Then again, perhaps we will simply adjust and come to accept what James
> called “acquired inattention.” E-mails pouring in, cell phones ring- ing,
> televisions blaring, podcasts streaming—all this may become back- ground
> noise, like the “din of a foundry or factory” that James observed workers
> could scarcely avoid at first, but which eventually became just another part
> of their daily routine. For the younger generation of multi- taskers, the
> great electronic din is an expected part of everyday life. And given what
> neuroscience and anecdotal evidence have shown us, this state of constant
> intentional self-distraction could well be of profound detri- ment to
> individual and cultural well-being. When people do their work only in the
> “interstices of their mind-wandering,” with crumbs of atten- tion rationed
> out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in information, but
> it will surely weaken in wisdom.

I've recently become very aware of the cognitive load of popup notifications,
phone push notifications, etc. I went for a week during which I turned off all
of these, and once I turned them on again, I was surprised by how incredibly
irritated they made me, not to mention much less productive.

YMMV - I just would like us all to make these decisions consciously for
ourselves, rather than passively.

~~~
Lucy_karpova
While trying Not to multitask, I find it really pleasant to do only one thing
at a time. First, you learn how to do several things at once, and after you
master the skill –here you go –you start really appreciating ability to
concentrate only on one thing. Reading papares on pros and cons of
multitasking only proves this experience.

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lcedp
> To Chesterfield, singular focus was not merely a practical way to structure
> one’s time; it was a mark of intelligence. “This steady and undissipated
> attention to one object, is a sure mark of a superior genius [...] "

Sounds reasonable. But also consider:

> The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed
> ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to
> function. \- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Crack-Up", Esquire Magazine (February
> 1936)

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julesie
Ironically, I struggled to stay focused on reading this article through to the
end as notifications from Sparrow and HipChat kept appearing in my periphery
vision.

~~~
xutopia
I turn off nearly all notifications on my system. Only really important things
are sent to the forefront.

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nhebb
I have never interpreted multitasking in the workplace to mean doing two or
more things at once. I've always interpreted it to mean doing many things over
the course of a workday, week, etc. In other words, to me, multitasking means
the ability to switch between tasks that may require different skill sets
(coding, customer support, technical writing, etc.). I think this piece takes
multitasking a bit too literally.

