One at a Time

How many of us are congratulating ourselves for our abilities to do more than one thing at once? Kristin told me just the other day how she can read a book while she walks home from the Metro or wherever. I write Blog posts while I am attending meetings these days. Most of the world has a cell phone or an ear pod permanently affixed to their ear.

But yesterday’s article in the NY Times suggests that while we think we are beating the system, the evidence isn’t so convincing. The article offered several simple pieces of advice:

(1) Check e-mail messages only once an hour.
(2) Listening to soothing background music while studying is fine, but avoid songs with words.
(3) Driving while talking on a cell phone, even with a hands-free headset, is a bad idea.

These are suggestions for managing technology, not eliminating it, as it lures us to click and dial and tune in.

This all has to do with how our brains function. We simply are not able to concentrate on two things at once. One is always getting short shrift. Studies at Vanderbilt University showed much better results for both children and adults who were given tasks sequentially as opposed to at the same time. Surprisingly even though older people think more slowly, they seem better equipped to block out interruptions and choose what to focus on. The real problem comes in how long it takes people to get back on task after they are diverted.

We are still in our infancy in terms of learning how to manage and utilize all the various forms of technology at our fingertips. But we must be respectful of the brain’s ability to deal with this barrage of information if we are to manage digital communication efficiently.

I’m trying the once an hour e-mail check today as a first attempt at putting this into practice.