August 1, 2013

In praise of uni-tasking

We’ve all known this all along, haven’t we?  We’ve all known that so called “multi-tasking” is really about being badly focused, easily interrupted, and ultimately less productive.

So it’s good to see BAFTA giving a platform to Arianna Huffington, to make a speech in which she said: ““There’s scientific evidence that shows that there’s no such thing as multi-tasking. You think you’re being efficient, you’re actually being stupid. It’s time to move from multi-tasking to celebrating uni-tasking and actually being present in our lives rather than missing it.”

In the speech, she also highlights the dangers of hyper-connectivity.   Again, we’ve known about this all along haven’t we?  We all know that we check our various digital devices and feeds far too often.  My own solution, as someone who gets paid to uni-task (as in think, then write clear messaging) is to turn off phones and email.  Thanks to AH, I will now not only feel less guilty about this, but also more sane.  

Feel free to add your thoughts on how to deal with the down-sides of digital technology.