Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Could it be due to Multitasking?

"To do two things at once is to do neither". This was said by a Roman slave, first century BC.

I read an interesting article about how multitasking is making us dumber and drives us insane. I must say I really hate living two paths. In this I mean doing masters and working at the same time. It takes its toll on you in the end. I wish I could focus fully on one thing. Each task constantly threatens and alleviates the focus on the others leading to doing nothing good in the end.

Anywayz, read the article if your interested:
CLICK HERE!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't fully agree with what you are saying. Some people are good at multitasking. Read "Why men don't listen and women can't read maps". There's a part in the early chapters about multitasking. In the end, I'd like to leave you with a small story:

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Tarek El-Gaaly said...

HEHE :D. Loved your little story but still think too much multitasking is bad for you. Actually too much of anything is bad for you. So when you try to put too many things into your jar, there is only that much that fit in. I have a tendency to over-flow my jar and not feel that I'm accomplishing any of the things inside my jar. Quite interesting - this metaphoric jar...reminds me of a movie called Jar Head.