Multitasking or Hyper-Focusing - There is No Middle Ground for Me
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Yeah, really depends what I am doing. If writing or coding, I can only do one thing. But a lot of the time I am doing interrupt driven work and when doing so multitasking is the only way to get things done.
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While the traditional wisdom is that multi-tasking is just task switching, there is some evidence that some people can do it (or are so fast at task switching that nobody can tell the difference):
http://www.businessinsider.com/multitasker-test-tells-you-if-you-are-one-of-the-2-2014-5 -
@thecreativeone91 said:
multi-tasking generally means you aren't doing any of the tasks as well as you could be. You are being productive but, not producing the quality of work you should.
This is exactly it. I tell my boss I can do one thing at a time really well, two kinda mediocre and I'm a real pro at bungling anything over 3-4. This is why we have tickets so we can time prioritize.
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@Nic said:
While the traditional wisdom is that multi-tasking is just task switching, there is some evidence that some people can do it (or are so fast at task switching that nobody can tell the difference):
http://www.businessinsider.com/multitasker-test-tells-you-if-you-are-one-of-the-2-2014-5Under some conditions I am able to write posts and talk to people at the same time.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Nic said:
While the traditional wisdom is that multi-tasking is just task switching, there is some evidence that some people can do it (or are so fast at task switching that nobody can tell the difference):
http://www.businessinsider.com/multitasker-test-tells-you-if-you-are-one-of-the-2-2014-5Under some conditions I am able to write posts and talk to people at the same time.
Part of the trick seems to be to use different sensory modalities, as they appear to have separate working memory in your brain. For instance it's very hard to count two different counters at the same time, but if you do one using your inner monologue, and one using your inner eye visualizing a ticker scrolling past, most people can manage to do that with some practice.
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Yes, when I type and talk it is two very different parts of my brain in action. I can also do "copy typing" where I read something and type it and my brain never acknowledges it. I read the letters and my fingers type them but I don't know a single work that I have typed.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Yes, when I type and talk it is two very different parts of my brain in action. I can also do "copy typing" where I read something and type it and my brain never acknowledges it. I read the letters and my fingers type them but I don't know a single work that I have typed.
You and I are so much alike it's kinda scary...
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It's not unusual. For tasks that your brain is familiar with it can use it's sub-concious part and still use the concious part for other things. Like having the ability to drive a car, listen to the radio, and talk at the same time - everyone can do that. You just turn on your brain's autopilot to drive the car. When you've written as many forum posts as Scott, then your brain is bound to use it's sub-concious part to do it. But there's probably only a handful of people in the world that have written that many posts.
I can type and talk at the same time, which occasionally dazzles my colleagues. But I've been typing for over 30 years now. Some of the mutlitasking that my 9 year old can do whilst playing Minecraft dazzles me. I guess that his brain is getting programmed differently to how mine was at his age, which may or may not turn out to be a good thing.
I get really annoyed when I'm reading a book and my mind starts thinking about something else. I carry on reading then at the end of the chapter I realise that even though I've read every word, I have no idea what I've just read and have to start again.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I get really annoyed when I'm reading a book and my mind starts thinking about something else. I carry on reading then at the end of the chapter I realise that even though I've read every word, I have no idea what I've just read and have to start again.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that happens to!
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@thanksajdotcom said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
I get really annoyed when I'm reading a book and my mind starts thinking about something else. I carry on reading then at the end of the chapter I realise that even though I've read every word, I have no idea what I've just read and have to start again.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that happens to!
Happens to me constantly. -
@mlnews only happens to me when I'm... uh... altered in some form.
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@MattSpeller said:
@mlnews only happens to me when I'm... uh... altered in some form.
It's my norm...I have a real hard time reading.
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@thanksajdotcom said:
@MattSpeller said:
@mlnews only happens to me when I'm... uh... altered in some form.
It's my norm...I have a real hard time reading.
I usually put music on when I read to help alleviate this. It gives my mind something to be distracted by so I can focus.
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@thanksajdotcom said:
@thanksajdotcom said:
@MattSpeller said:
@mlnews only happens to me when I'm... uh... altered in some form.
It's my norm...I have a real hard time reading.
I usually put music on when I read to help alleviate this. It gives my mind something to be distracted by so I can focus.
The trick is finding a song and putting it on one song repeat. It needs to be the same thing over and over. If I use a playlist or shuffle, the constantly changing music is distracting without helping me focus.
