MULTITASKING … MYTH or MAGIC?
Do you multitask? If you have a busy lifestyle or hanker to get stuff done, it’s tempting. Sometimes the days stretch out in front of you from that first morning stretch, but that luxury is rare. Being short of time is more likely, so it seems productive to double up on activities in the effort to get everything done while you’re able.
Multitasking has a very short history, and was first attributed to a machine. A computer, of course. In 1965, IBM’s ‘System360’ model managed to do more than one operation at once, and the term was adopted. So can humans do it? Are our brains up to the task … tasks?
I confess I’m guilty of trying to do several things at once. On the radio recently [mixing morning report with morning] I heard some health guru expounding the virtues of frequent small bouts of exercise. Good scheme. I tried combining mindless occupations [dishes, vacuuming] with stretching, a few kneebends, or the latest craze: standing on one leg. Best combined with music, naturally. Experts suggest closing your eyes for maximum benefit. I won’t go into details, but this did not end well.
Dancing is supposed to be excellent, but requires skill. The old song ‘Dance me to the End of Time’ – a great favourite of mine – came on the radio one day, so I gave it a go. This came perilously close to the end of time for me and all. At least the adage ‘Dance Like Nobody’s Watching’ was en pointe. I’ve tried knitting while watching tv on occasions. Not a good plan. And even unpicking requires single-minded attention, so ‘Stick to your knitting’ is probably good advice.
Each month I gear up to write this column for our Star. Wordprocessing involves coffee, a few stretches, Google scrolling, and searching the fridge for tasty leftovers to nourish the overactive brain. Writing is hard yakka. I had to investigate the derivation – apparently adopted into ‘Stralian lingo in the 1840s from the Yagara ‘yaga’. Multitasking … there I go again!
We’re all aware of the perils of driving, a difficult skill even with total focus. Sadly the temptation to multitask is huge. Grabbing a snack. Txting. Exercises … see above. Drinking. Is drinkdriving so common that it’s become one word? Just no, please.
So is successful multitasking A Thing? We skite about doing several things at once: just talk to the average teenager, if you can get their attention. Sadly, it’s rubbish. Scientists believe the human brain is only able to think about one, maybe two things at a time; otherwise something scarily termed a ‘processing bottleneck’ occurs. In fact what’s happening is a rapid mind juggle between tasks. Does this matter? Yes. It comes with a ‘switch-cost effect’, causing tasks to be up to 30% incomplete. More bad news. You’ll make mistakes, remember less and get poor results. Going back to that knitting – I’m left with an annoying unpicking task and no idea what was on telly.
However, multitasking has benefits. Letting your mind wander has advantages. Connections can be made and imaginations run riot. Even great literature (maybe even in a humble Musings column) can be created. So Myth or Magic? I’ll leave it to you to decide.
