Multi-tasking is dead.
“Multi-tasking is dead. It never worked and it never will. Intelligent people love to sing its praises because it gives them permission to avoid the much more challenging alternative: focusing on one thing.” -Timothy Ferriss
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November 30th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Obviously written by a man. Working mothers know that whether you like it or not, whether you are good at it or not, multitasking is a way of life. People who have the luxury of focusing on one thing, have a wife at home who gets everything else done.
November 30th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Kirk,
What a generous person you are - including the Grinch photo for all to enjoy!
In the “4 Disciplines of Execution”, Jennifer Colosimo explains the behavior studies that prove most people are more efficient and productive when they truly focus on one thing at a time. It gives credence to those of us whose brains are hard-wired to desire a singular focus.
Here’s a small-scale example I see in training delivery: when facilitators talk about content that participants are simultaneously reading in a handout or on a slide. The goal might be to provide a learning experience that appeals to both auditory and visual learners, but the result is that neither is as effective, when they’re done at the same time.
It’s very true that the ‘real world’ doesn’t allow us to avoid multi-tasking in most things. But I think the true message here is for managers: to get the most productivity from your team, help them to prioritize and focus on those activities that are most important to your success and manage away other distractions as necessary.
December 1st, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Hi Kirk! Even though I retired a few months ago, I still enjoy your column. As you intend, they make me think. And here’s what I think about multi-tasking:
I’m not sure what Timothy Ferriss was thinking about when he said “Multi-tasking is dead.” Maybe he was talking about people who talk on the phone when they are driving - which is, of course, a dangerous thing. But I have to disagree with his premise that it never worked and never will.
Multi-tasking is alive and well and living in every woman I know. While I’m washing dishes, I listen to books on tape. While I’m on hold with the insurance company, I’m making a grocery list. While I’m sitting in the dentist’s waiting room, I’m crocheting a prayer shawl. Digging in my gardening helps me think about God and all the beauty in this world. In fact, most of my time is spent multi-tasking. Mutli-tasking makes drudgery/boring into joyful/interesting.
Moreover, multi-tasking can be a great way to develop and maintain relationships. When my husband and I sit in our hot tub every morning to start the day, we count our blessings and share our gratitude for our wonderful life. When we I go for our daily walk, we talk about everything under the sun! When I’m making cookies with my granddaughter, I hear all sorts of things about her life.
The thing is… you need to know when it is important to focus - and when it isn’t. If I’m learning a new skill, it needs my focus. If I’m listening to a friend talking about her cancer, she needs my full attention. If I’m writing a letter, I shouldn’t be watching a sitcom on TV.
Intelligent people don’t need permission to avoid focusing on one thing. Intelligent people just need to determine when they should focus on one thing - and when they can happily multi-task.
Keep up the good work! Carol Sass
December 5th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Personally, I find humor in Charlotte’s comment above. I think she hit the nail on the head. And I find Carol’s comment above to be spot on too because I don’t think multi-tasking is a habit of unintelligent people. I think only intelligent people can multi-task successfully!
I’m afraid this might sound sexist, but I think in general women are better multi-taskers than men. Whether it’s genetic or a learned behavior, I don’t know. I do know that society EXPECTS women to multi-task, thus we make it happen. Women can be working moms, raise children, cook, clean, help with homework, maintain important relationships, volunteer or be involved at church, and still get things accomplished. It’s EXPECTED of us. From my limited female perspective, that’s really not expected from the men in our society. I’m not a guy, so I can’t speak for you fellas. Maybe a few more guys could share on the idea?
And perhaps the author of that quote might consider seeking the perspective of his wife or mother to see what they think of his words or wisdom?
December 5th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
An interesting read from the Wall Street Journal:
http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/workfamily/20030321-workfamily.html