Multitasking counterproductive

CNN.com Study: Multitasking is counterproductive

Finally, a study to back up what I always told my managers at CEISS -- I cannot handle working on 6 different projects at one time and do work that meets my quality expectations under strict deadlines.

I work best when I'm working on 1 or 2 tasks/projects.

Actually, Hal Jorch, the first manager I had at CEISS, really understood this. (He didn't stay at CEISS very long -- hint hint).

When I told him I was being asked to do too many things at once he taught me about thrashing, which is what happens when a multitasking operating system starts spending more time switching between tasks than performing the tasks themselves. He said it applied to people every bit as much as computers.

Written on August 6, 2001