
It’s Time To Kill Multi-Tasking - shawndumas
http://the99percent.com/articles/6986/Itas-Time-To-Kill-Multi-Tasking
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nhangen
I like to multi-task, and I find that I can get in a nice groove bouncing,
using each task to catapult into the next. Honestly, I'm getting quite
frustrated with the attack on multitasking, as if there's only one way to get
things done.

Going further, I'm starting to get the feeling that the pomodoro technique is
becoming too hip for its own good. I find it easier to follow my own flow than
try to manipulate it with intense time management.

One word: discipline.

~~~
zaidf
_Going further, I'm starting to get the feeling that the pomodoro technique is
becoming too hip for its own good. I find it easier to follow my own flow than
try to manipulate it with intense time management._

I lack self-discipline and most of my productivity occurs between the time I
achieve flow and the time the flow ends. Yet, whenever I have tried the
pomodoro technique, I felt it did little to get me to do stuff I did not want
to; and when I _did_ begin doing something, I found the idea of taking a break
every x minutes annoying when I am super into something.

I guess Pornodoro technique is not a fit for those who want to keep on working
without interruption once they get in the groove. Doesn't mean it is good or
bad.

~~~
nhangen
I'm sure it's a worthy technique - my complaint is just that it's often
prescribed as a blanket one size fits all solution rather than something that
might be more fitting. Maybe I'm just tired of hearing about it and I'm being
cranky :)

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tectonic
I just installed Pomodoro for OSX, seems very well done.
<http://pomodoro.ugolandini.com/>

~~~
joe_the_user
Interesting...

Went from the Pomodoro app page to the Pomodoro technique page...

Tried to download the Pomodoro book but it's a scribd doc...

and so to get it I logged into Facebook...

Then spend fifteen minutes catching up and finally remembered to go back and
got ...

... the book on

... how NOT to multitask...

(...then five minimutes fixing typos here...)

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yoyar
I've been telling managers that the concept of multi-tasking is idiotic for
years. But bad managers like the idea, so they thought they could just tell
you to multi-task and then everything would turn out hunky-dory. It's nice to
hear other people saying die to the concept. I feel validated. Now, back to
drinking coffee and posting on HN while driving and eating a ham sandwich.
Cheers.

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Joakal
Wow, it seems all of the advice is unnecessarily creating stress where the
person tries to get software/hardware to restrict access. This will ultimately
fail for people seeking freedom to work, especially entrepreneurs.

I think it's best to have a TODO list and follow it.

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joe_the_user
From the article: "Doing the hard, creative work first."

I'm doubtful that this is a good strategy for everyone. There are a lot of
time use approaches and this doesn't seem like it would work for me.
Especially, whether it would help me to wake up earlier or not, I know I
wouldn't do unless I was essentially forced to by needing to do something
then.

One of the things about a lot of the time-management schemes is that they are
simplified for general purpose time use strategies and thus it's easy to find
one part that doesn't work for you and take that as a wall.

I do like the idea of a mechanical kitchen timer - it's very unfortunate that
they've been replaced by the electric kind in most stores.

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xenophanes
calling an app to prevent you from doing something "Freedom" is perverse
double think.

~~~
te_chris
heh, it is a really helpful app though. I've tried pomodoro and such and it's
a nice, if not novel and typically over-prescriptive concept. Freedom just
works - it eliminates the key point of distraction.

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orky56
It's been well documented that our attention operates in a spotlight sort of
way. We can handle immediate tasks better one at a time. Of course, our brain
is always working and new tasks and ideas start to form on the fringe and we
being the impulsive humans we are would rather work on something new and
different. This is purely because the variety of tasks is more exhilarating
than the productivity and accomplishment of even one task.

Multitasking should just be finishing one task well enough and having the
long-term focus to know what task should be tackled upon next.

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flip
I've left a couple of comments on HN about the perils of multitasking. Didn't
go over well. Not a popular idea here... unless you can find something online
to back you up!

