Kids Aren't That Good At Multi-Tasking
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
With all the talk recently about Twitter (to Twitter or not to Twitter?), I was interested to read about a series of new reports that found limits to multi-tasking.
Original post I found here, but the detail about all the studies is here.
One would think that the kids are great at multi-tasking because they have grown up around digital devices. My nephews IM their mates while playing Nintendo, with the telly or music on in the background. However, according to the New York Times "recent research suggests that popular perception is open to question. A group of 18- to 21-year-olds and a group of 35- to 39-year-olds were given 90 seconds to translate images into numbers, using a simple code.
The younger group did 10% better when not interrupted. But when both groups were interrupted by a phone call, an SMS message or an instant message, the older group matched the younger group in speed and accuracy. The older people think more slowly, but they have a faster fluid intelligence, so they are better able to block out interruptions and choose what to focus on."
So, how can I apply this to my life?
- Stop taking sneaky calls on the mobile while driving. Find the hands free and use it. Accept that McDowell was right.
- Turn off my email. Right now it's off and I intend to experiment today with only checking it once an hour. I know that email interrupts my flow of thought. And if something is so urgent it can't wait for an hour, then they'll ring me.
- Turn off Twitter during work hours (thus setting a good example for the rest of my team - ahem!)
Labels: multi tasking