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Not just at work but in general. Most people seem to have a lot of balls in the air at the same time, but I feel like I have to complete what I am working on before I tackle anything else. Sometimes that is impossible but there is always a feeling of tension when moving on to something else when the first thing isn't finished. I am introverted also a bit OCD don't know if that has anything to do with it. I don't like making mistakes or breezing over anything, or interruptions.
I'm in a situation now where I unexpectedly have to get some important things done within a short time frame. People are waiting on me and asking about this or that. It isn't working out to do one at a time, I have to start one, then wait for someone to call me back or do something to start the other then go back and forth. It is exhausting and stressful, most people just think it is normal.
I cannot talk on the phone while driving or eating or anything, must have full attention on one thing. I get lots of phone calls from people driving or out somewhere with busy background noise. It seems chaotic, I don't know how people can ignore all the outside "noise" in their head with all kinds of things going on at once, or from the actual environment.
Except for the very simplest and most mundane things (packing a lunch while talking to your spouse about what's for dinner tonight) there's no such thing as "multitasking". There's only "serial tasking". Rapidly switching amongst a large number of tasks has been abundantly proven less efficient and with a far higher error rate, than concentrating on one task for a long time before switching to the next.
People who claim to be "good at multitasking" have rarely been tested to confirm or refute this. I suspect they think they're good at it because they've gotten so accustomed to it that it seems the norm, and actually sitting quietly and doing one thing at a time fails to provide the level of disturbance and stimulation they're used to.
The thing that I would refer to as "multitasking" is for me management of ADHD tendencies. Understimulation of my brain is my enemy, and one I must avoid. When my mind is understimulated, it tends to disengage, wander off, and look for distractions and amusements that will take me badly off task, or else I get sleepy and doze off.
When I was younger, I was more flexible in how I could "multitask" and still engage with an acceptable level of focus. I could listen to something and read at the same time and process both streams of words simultaneously with no problem.
Now, I can't seem to do that anymore. I can listen to music and do something that is tedious and doesn't require a high amount of processing bandwidth, but if the second task requires more intense focus then I will automatically reach to turn off the music. Like for instance...I can drive a familiar route or a long stretch of highway with music playing and sing along and be fine. But when I need to take an unfamiliar "in town" route or get off the highway in a place I don't know, and suddenly I've got to read street signs and try to find a turn, I'm going to turn the music down or off. It's diverting resources my brain needs for something more urgent.
I can listen to a podcast and cook something easy or something I've made many times before and need no instructions for. I cannot listen to a podcast AND try to follow a written recipe for something even moderately complex.
I could try, but I would probably find that while reading the recipe and repeating the written steps to myself and doing them, I missed the content of what was said on the podcast for the last ten minutes.
But it does also seem that different segments of my brain may have their own dedicated resources that don't conflict with each other. I can do a jigsaw puzzle while listening to a podcast or show, and give focus to both. One is a visual task requiring no language processing, the other an auditory one requiring language processing. Both can run simultaneously with no loss of comprehension or performance. If I tried to just sit and listen to music or a podcast while doing nothing else, or just do a jigsaw puzzle with nothing to listen to, I'd get bored and restless from feeling understimulated.
The thing that I would refer to as "multitasking" is for me management of ADHD tendencies. Understimulation of my brain is my enemy, and one I must avoid. When my mind is understimulated, it tends to disengage, wander off, and look for distractions and amusements that will take me badly off task, or else I get sleepy and doze off.
When I was younger, I was more flexible in how I could "multitask" and still engage with an acceptable level of focus. I could listen to something and read at the same time and process both streams of words simultaneously with no problem.
Now, I can't seem to do that anymore. I can listen to music and do something that is tedious and doesn't require a high amount of processing bandwidth, but if the second task requires more intense focus then I will automatically reach to turn off the music. Like for instance...I can drive a familiar route or a long stretch of highway with music playing and sing along and be fine. But when I need to take an unfamiliar "in town" route or get off the highway in a place I don't know, and suddenly I've got to read street signs and try to find a turn, I'm going to turn the music down or off. It's diverting resources my brain needs for something more urgent.
I can listen to a podcast and cook something easy or something I've made many times before and need no instructions for. I cannot listen to a podcast AND try to follow a written recipe for something even moderately complex.
I could try, but I would probably find that while reading the recipe and repeating the written steps to myself and doing them, I missed the content of what was said on the podcast for the last ten minutes.
But it does also seem that different segments of my brain may have their own dedicated resources that don't conflict with each other. I can do a jigsaw puzzle while listening to a podcast or show, and give focus to both. One is a visual task requiring no language processing, the other an auditory one requiring language processing. Both can run simultaneously with no loss of comprehension or performance. If I tried to just sit and listen to music or a podcast while doing nothing else, or just do a jigsaw puzzle with nothing to listen to, I'd get bored and restless from feeling understimulated.
I think I could do that too. Those seem like pretty relaxing things. It is fast paced or stimulating things that are particularly difficult to multi-task or serial task. I would not get bored with doing each one of those activities separately however, my mind (and body) is mostly in a state of overstimulation at baseline and I rarely get bored even if I'm doing absolutely nothing. And it doesn't feel lazy either, it feels like a bit of relief, a needed rest and comfort. It is hard to explain to some people that doing nothing isn't boring. lol.
Everyone is different when it comes to multitasking, and my guess it has something to do with activities and lifestyle when one was a child. I suspect maybe those from big families are more used to handling, listening, etc. to a lot of different things going on at once.
I have noticed as I age that multi-tasking has become more challenging. It is very annoying, and I work hard to try to stay ahead of it.
Except for the very simplest and most mundane things (packing a lunch while talking to your spouse about what's for dinner tonight) there's no such thing as "multitasking". There's only "serial tasking". Rapidly switching amongst a large number of tasks has been abundantly proven less efficient and with a far higher error rate, than concentrating on one task for a long time before switching to the next.
People who claim to be "good at multitasking" have rarely been tested to confirm or refute this. I suspect they think they're good at it because they've gotten so accustomed to it that it seems the norm, and actually sitting quietly and doing one thing at a time fails to provide the level of disturbance and stimulation they're used to.
AGREED!
Long story short of it, may get many things done but at a far lower quality level.
Now, counter to this, one can be great if they can think on their feet.
I think most "multi-tasking" is promoted by employers, because they want to hire 1 person to do 4 jobs.
At work, do you have a hard time saying "no"? I have no qualms about replying to an email and saying "yeah we can take a look at this next month" or "I'm already committed to Project X". But I can read 3 dozen threads on 3 dozen topics with no prob, same as the forum here.
In my personal life, I do keep alot of projects/plates/hobbies spinning, but I am free to ignore or abandon the lower tier ones.
I find success in shutting off any new inputs, when I want to focus on one thing. Close the laptop, shut off the TV/Youtube, turn off notifications from phone apps, dont even pick up the phone when it rings. Some people are "interrupt driven" and they must enjoy that. I say "be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there."
My last gf, first time she came over to stay awhile she looked around and said "its too quiet in here. Can you put on the News or Sportscenter in the background?" She literally felt discomfort + boredom at the silence + lack of stimulation. I call it "peace and tranquility" and would happily live in a cabin in the woods - but my job requires life in a big city.
Admittedly, if I had like 5 kids under age 13 I'd be a nutcase. I am a 'serial processor' and make no apologies.
I'm definitely a singular hyper focus person. When I'm into something I can block all other things out and it really annoys me if someone tries to talk to me when I'm in this state of mind. My sister is the opposite. She's a real estate agent and is constantly talking on the phone while doing other things.
I think most "multi-tasking" is promoted by employers, because they want to hire 1 person to do 4 jobs.
At work, do you have a hard time saying "no"? I have no qualms about replying to an email and saying "yeah we can take a look at this next month" or "I'm already committed to Project X". But I can read 3 dozen threads on 3 dozen topics with no prob, same as the forum here.
.....
Ahhh, but are you responding?
How many times do we see on the forums someone responding to what they think we said and that isn't what we said, that what we said should have been read with attention?
A and B.
A: Placing thoughts in others minds that will cause them to charge off in a direction, such as taking the mark to meet their friend the federal agent and they run into him (an accomplice) walking out of the Federal building as "he was just going to lunch", is an easy trick, I've done the like for years, it is an easy con. It operates on people taking what is presented to them and since it appears on face value, they don't analyze it further, don't give it any more energy.....but they should.
B: I can Lightning or ULTRA speed read but it comes with a cost in that for all the adventure a book may have, I don't get any of it at that speed, I am just absorbing words.
We can think we are increase the efficiency of the mind by pushing its limits but what are we missing in the process?
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