Just Say No! to Multitasking

I last wrote about the dangers of multitasking in my Fall 2006 newsletter (see page 4, http://www.organizedbymarcie.com/newsletters/2006-3.doc ). I cited a study showing that multi-tasking makes you even less effective than if you were consuming drugs. Dr Glenn Wilson, of King’s College London, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day and discovered that IQ drops by 10 points when workers juggle phone calls, emails and other work at the same time. Compare that to the effect of marijuana use on intelligence, which creates a drop of 4 IQ points after smoking it. You can read the BBC News article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4471607.stm

I was reminded of the study when I read an article in yesterday’s Washington Post about teens and multitasking. Most teens believe they accomplish more by talking on the phone, sending email, watching television and listening to music all while doing homework. However, experts agree that students don’t gain a depth of knowledge while multitasking. This behavior results in a superficial style of study and students become satisfied with minimal levels of knowledge. See the article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR2007022501600.html

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!