Am I truly multitasking or am I simply shifting my attention from task to task? From simply driving to where I need to be in rush hour traffic every morning and having breakfast at the same time to simultaneously replying e-mails, checking the daily weather, having a cup of coffee and answering my mobile phone, how effective am I in all I do? Is it better to complete one task before beginning a second one or am I actually using my time better by multi-tasking.
A number of articles I read online this week supports the notion that doing two, three things at once does not actually save us time. While our brains are perfectly capable of keeping us walking, talking and chewing gum all at the same time, it is only because these movements have been practiced so much that they are automatic. When it comes to deeper and more meaningful activities that require a higher level of consciousness, multitasking may simply be a myth.
Take into consideration the digital and technology friendly era we live in and more than often it's information overload for us. Technology has created methods for information to reach us a lot more rapidly than in the past and in most cases we have failed to adapt as rapidly and to learn to filter information efficiently. We are not discrmininating between what is important and what is mundane.
It is not information overload, it is filter failure
Until my next post...
The Clay Shirky video you've embedded is great. He's a really good speaker and makes lots of important points about the need for filters to deal with the information overload we experience on a daily basis.
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