February 19, 2013 - Single Tasking Day

Todaynwe are urged not to multi-task. We are encouraged to see whatnthe world is like when we’re only focusing on one task at a time.
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nOfncourse, all of us can do more than one thing at a time. We cannsimultaneously chew gum and walk, for example. At the same time,nwe’re undoubtedly breathing and quite likely talking to someone nextnto us or on our cell phone. And we are subconsciously looking forndangers—perhaps checking the sidewalk ahead of us for debris, ornscouting for traffic, or surveying the other animals (for most of us,nthat means the other humans) around us. So we are doing at least fiventhings at once!

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nButnmulti-tasking implies two or more jobs that require conscious focus.nIn our example above, we are only focused on our conversation withnanother person. Walking, chewing, and breathing are pretty automatic.nAs I mentioned already, the constant survey of an outdoornenvironment, looking for dangers, is also usually done at ansubconscious level.

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Whennwe use the word multi-tasking, we mean something like talkingnon the phone and typing a report at the same time. Or doing geometrynhomework while watching TV. Or listening to a lecture while texting.nScientists tell us that, even if we feel as if we are getting morendone and saving time, we can REALLY only do one thing at a time…andntrying to multi-task results in wasted time from switching our focusnback and forth from one activity to the other. It also results in farnmore errors.

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nIfnmulti-tasking doesn’t work, why do so many people think that it does?

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nWengot the idea of multi-tasking—and the word—from computer science.nSingle core computers, like people, can only do one thing at a time.nBut computers seem to do multiple things at once because they arenable to switch very rapidly between multiple tasks. (Computers canntoggle between tasks many times a second.) Unlike humans, computersncan switch from task to task without requiring time tonpause-and-refocus, and they can do so without making errors.

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nInsuspect that people tell themselves that they are good atnmulti-tasking because they want to do a fun activity instead of anboring one…so they try to do both at once.

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nSomenstudies show that young people, in particular, often try to have morenthan one “input” at a time. When they are watching TV, reading,nor listening to music, they are ALSO often surfing the web, texting,nchecking status updates, or playing a game. Experts call thisn“continuous partial attention,” and they point out that, in anneffort not to miss stuff, teens are only able to to pay a shallownamount of attention to anything.

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nOnencould argue that they miss most everything!

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CelebratenSingle Tasking Day by really focusing on one thing at a time.nStop everything else and really listen to—and maybe sing alongnto—that song you claim to love. Relish a good book in a place farnfrom phones or computers or video games. Really focus on thatntelevision show you say is your favorite—but that you hardly paynattention to, normally. n

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nIfnthere is something you have to do—something boring or hard,nperhaps—dive in and do it with your full, concentrated effort. Itnwill probably be done and out of your hair much quicker than it wouldnbe if you multi-tasked while doing it. And you are much more likelynto do a good job, and not have to redo it!

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nAndnyou can then do the fun thing you’d really wanted to do. Withoutnguilt.

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nWhatevernyou are doing, really do it. Just that one thing.

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nAlsonon this date:

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