frazzled

"Frazzing. frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you are getting a lot done."

Here I am - blogging, checking my email, arranging my lecture notes for an exam in Pediatrics AND reading an article in TIME magazine. Basically, I'm reading about the pitfalls of multitasking while multitasking.

I have previously read on New Scientist how emails and the internet at the office actually decrease productivity. These emails are a constant source of distraction, not allowing a person to focus on one task indefinitely. The problem with multitasking here is that the brain cannot easily move from one task to another. The brain requires a certain amount of time to be able to return to a previous task after a distraction. The more tasks a person is doing, the longer it takes for that person to be able to focus on a specific task.

The article from TIME just expounds on the matter by giving examples (Hollywood producer Jennifer Klein) and tips from "some of the most productive people on the planet" (Condoleezza Rice, Donald Trump, J. Craig Venter, etc). There are, however, still some successful people who still insist on doing one thing at a time.

Suze Orman is a businesswoman, author/columnist and TV personality. One would expect her to be a "master multitasker" yet she is the total opposite - unwilling to answer phones when she is working, unwilling to discuss anything else but the topic for her next speaking engagement. Her single-mindedness borders on obsessiveness. She explains:

"The people who multitask . . . do everything to mediocrity at best. While they are getting a lot done, they are getting it done in such an inefficient way that they usually have to do it again."

That last quote definitely hits home. For now, I don't think I need to read much more about this. However, I do believe it is about time I sign out, shut down my computer and focus on the most important task at hand: studying for my Pedia exams for tomorrow.