Mythbuster: Multitasking

I've been telling my agents, "One at a time, please!"  Now I have a good senerio to back it up!

I have always thought of multi-tasking as an effective way of screwing up more than one thing at a time.

Big believer in this survey. I found out a long time ago, first-hand, that I do my best work one thing at a time.

I've always thought multi-tasking didn't work.  I tried it, and learned quickly that I am not able to really do more than one thing at a time.  One or both of those "things" will turn out wrong.

As a drummer, I'm used to  - hey, Liz & Bill Spear's squirrel just ran by my window - using what is called - no, I'll be at the Office until noon - four-way-independence, so - yes, that's the right folder - doing several things at once......uh.....what was the question now?

I know that I cannot truely mutli-task- as shown by when my kids try to talk to me while I am working. It can sometimes take a full minute to shift gears completely.

One thing at a time please, I am multi tasking.  smile

A was reading about a study...You should not multy-task. It turns out that you don't do all the things correct and need more time to correct your multy-tasking adventure. Focus on one thing and do it right the first time, instead multy-tasking and correct your mistakes. For me personally I do one thing at the time to get it right the first time. Hate if I have to correct my own mistakes(lol sounds funny) and waste more time. So I stick to one thing at the time...

You know in this business you have to be able to jump from one task to another fairly quick, but I cannot do two task at one time.

While reading this post, I'm eating and keeping my grandson entertained while a therapist works with the other grandson. I'd call that successful multi-tasking. But that's not the same as trying to multitask when personal relationships or safety are involved.  Maybe we need a new term - simple-minded multi-tasking?  E.g., cooking dinner while cleaning the kitchen while helping a child with a spelling lesson. 

I agree & it's rude when people do it.  The ones that think they can - can't & the ones that realy can you don't notice they are doing it.  It's annoying when you are talking with someone & they are texting others, etc.

It depends on who is multitasking and what they're tasking. I'm sure anyone can listen to an audio seminar and read their email simultaneously or other such endeavors like cooking several dishes at the same time. Some people cannot multitask but almost all can, can't you?

We can all multitask - the thing is : we never finish any of those tasks ....

In my world multitasking is not as efficient as it sounds!

Well now, that all depends on the task.

If a friend calls to chat, I like to keep my hands busy with mindless things - folding laundry, filling the dishwasher, pulling weeds, etc. It helps me feel less guilty for taking time out to talk to a friend when I should be working.

But when clients send me to a web page and expect me to read it while I talk with them, forget it. No can do.

I think I do a great job of multitasking but if I am talking to someone I give them my undivided attention I just think it is rude and I put people on the spot to make sure they were listening.

I've always thought that multi-tasking was a myth. How can you possibly do 2 things at once? (As for the conversation during a sporting event, I could tell my husband the house was on fire during a Dallas Cowboys game and he wouldn't hear a word of it!)

   Even though I'm not much of a football fan, I can see where that's an excellent suggestion!

I am on a business call as I write this,,,,so I am multi-tasking...also it means that the business call is not very productive or useful!!