The subject of the Diplocalendar 2012 for the month of September is Multitasking.
The opposite of delegation, multitasking is an attempt to divide your mind and attention into several activities that you attempt to do all at once. Few people learn to do this successfully; in general it’s a recipe for failure.
More inspiring subjects on Diplocalendar 2012 that explores in both a serious and lighthearted way, some elements of interpersonal relationships and management that can help in daily activities.
Is it wise to be so dismissive of multitasking? Sure, sending a text message while driving an automobile — I am told this is a routine sight on the LA freeways, where one may even occasionally sight someone changing clothes while driving — is a recipe for disaster.
In the real world, we multitask all the time. Provided this is not carried to extreme, nor applied to truly important tasks, this is a good method. One also improves with practice.
I agree with you, Amb. Rana, and your opinion that multitasking in small doses can be a practical aid to ones job. In fact, I was a bit critical of another article in this blog that examined multitasking from a scientific point of view and in particular, our brain’s inefficiency in trying to multitask.
For anyone who missed it, you can read it here:
http://istitutodiplomatico.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/what-happens-in-your-brain-while-you-multitask/
The basics are that from “A study by Zhen Wang and Clifford Nass from Stanford University…
multitasking decreases brain efficiency and doesn’t help memory and filtering of information.”
I commented on that article and will only cut & paste the part that interests this discussion.
…I have developed my own work method that relies heavily on multitasking. I use the inefficiency of man and machine to my advantage. As an example: I’m on the phone and the caller wastes time gathering the info I need…I don’t just sit there doodling…I get back to whatever I was doing before the phone call or begin a new task that I would have started after the call. Or, what about the precious time wasted waiting for heavy webpages or intensive programs to load…again, I will quickly switch to something else that I know I can start and finish in that brief time. It’s a technique that sounds crazy but that can be developed with a good understanding of your job. By the way, I never planned it that way, it just came naturally over time. Now that I try to explain it I realize that my brain is not really multitasking at all but rather singletasking at a faster rate by simply filling in the “natural pauses” in my work schedule with other activities. Anyway, it works for me.”
In the end, it’s a fine line between multitasking and turbo-charged singletasking.
As you say, multitasking can be learned; but [lots of] practice makes perfect.