Saturday, December 15, 2007


The Myth Of Multi-Tasking

I don't know about you, but my concentration and retention don't suffer at all when I'm simultaneously scanning emails, Instant Messaging two friends on the other sides of the country, and listening to punk rock in my left ear while conducting a four-party conference call. No. I only get distracted when my wife up and destroys this peaceful tableau by sneaking behind me and making me jump out of my chair when she asks, "Is there anything you need from the grocery store?"

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

New thread, please. Try multitasking, it works, beleive me.

Frankly, I think you are taking a cheap shot at your lovely wife who is a full-time mother, a doctoral student, runs a business, takes time to keep herself looking gorgeous, and still has time for your sorry ass. So to apply your multi-tasking model in this example, if she would just focus, she could do something world class, like be a championship blogger. But no, you keep her multi-tasking. I bet she has to take out the garbage, oversee the contractors, and do your laundry. At least she is willing to put up with your friends (*g*)!!!

MarcLord said...

Thank you for your sympathy. "Friend." But it seems my poorly expressed post misled you into thinking I cast any aspersions on my darling wife.

Which is funny, because it was meant to be about technology's ill effects on general communication, and on mine, not about Lord Wife at all. Like many females, she has a wonderful ability to multi-task in comparison to me, and may be constitutionally incapable of focusing, or else she would as you note be a world champion blogger. Or maybe a real estate magnate. But even she gets spazzed by too many incoming streams. Sort of like a RISC vs. CISC processor would.

I have to work with folks who believe in texting, IMming, talking, and looking at internet porn all at the same time. And this seems to be correlated with having a hard time getting anything done, or telling you why they're not.

Anonymous said...

"...grocery store." Yup, makes me jump 5 feet high. . . "Oh . . make that both of us, Zoey jumps too!"