Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Multitasking

Multitasking – the wonderful ability of doing several things at once. I think nowadays absolutely everybody is multitasking. We probably do it to save time, or at least to have the feeling we’re making the best of the limited 24 hours we have at our hands. Right now I am writing this post, at the same time downloading data for my work, chatting on MSN, eavesdropping on my colleagues’ brainstorming and listening to the radio. Oh, I forgot, I’m also drinking coffee and answering to my other colleague’s questions from time to time.

They say women are better at multitasking but I think men also have to be able to conform to it. I have actually seen a man writing an email and talking on MSN at the same time, however, when I tried to talk to him as well, he was lost. But, I keep on testing how good the men are at multitasking and whether there’s any further development.

Some of the older generation insists on multitasking being ineffective, and that the work results are actually better when doing one thing at a time. I beg to differ. I know that with normal work things I am more effective doing several tasks at once. When there’s something that demands my uttermost concentration, then I turn out like half of the distracting multitasks, put on my headphones, turn the volume up and bang, at least three of the distractors are gone, but I’d still be doing at least 2-3 things at the same time.

In the morning, multitasking’s also a blessing – drinking my coffee while doing my make-up, or brushing my teeth while putting on clothes. I need to do all the things simultaneously coz I’ve pushed the alarm clock further one too many times to pinch some more of the sleeping time. Sleeping and multitasking do not go together, I must admit there aren’t many things I can do at the same time as sleeping. Well, watching my dreams, of course, but that’s about it. Just chilling and being lazy also demands my full attention – no multitasking there. You know, the kind of “just-being-lazy-and-not-doing-s*it”, laying on the couch, watching TV, not even bothering to read, because that actually demands some thinking. I think that during the day I spend all my energy on multitasking and then need a lot of recovery time just being lazy and sleeeeeping a lot. But hey, is there any other way?!


5 comments:

Vixen said...

I was on the phone with a bill company, sipping tea, listening to new music on my Ipod and reading blogs all at the same time. I didn't even notice until I read this...lol

Hernes said...

Welcome back to the readers' circle! How's life? Gonna have to start reading your blog again too.

Maekas said...

Multitasking is a bad-bad thing. Because in terms of quality, it is going to affect our work. Well, I mean, it is a no-brainer to drink coffe and read or write an article at the same time. However, when we drink coffee, listen to music, chat on MSN and also do our job, then one is definately going to affect the other. We either concentrate on working and occasionally take a sip of coffee, but later we don't remember the song playing and we cannot respond to people on MSN. Another possibility is that we talk on msn, but we forget our ideas for an article and have a hard time remembering them later on and also might forget to drink our coffee until it is completely cold.

My point is that it would be best if we could concentrate on one thing only and the quality of our work would be so much better. :)

Just my two cents :P

Hernes said...

Now you really have to excuse my sexist view here, but may i remind you....You are a man and as i said, women are better at multitasking, hehehe:)
But thanks for sharing your views and confirming the stated facts.

Maekas said...

Do not even pretend to think that you can do your job with one hundred percent quality while at the same time listening to music and chatting on msn and answering to the questions of a random colleague :D