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99 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+33Death to Unitaskers!
- Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Except drinking flaming cyanide and napalm beverages. Even in moderation I think those might be bad.
- rebrad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18I believe Time thinks that this is true. Time however is a dinosaur of the modern world and will soon be found in the antique section of eBay. Under the paradigm that Time lives in multitasking would appear dysfunctional. Especially when their readership continues to plummet. If you can't adapt you die. Rest In Peace Time.
- pudquick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I would flame this, but I'm too busy playing my DS while watching a DVD (and keeping an eye on digg spy).
- tHePeOPle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14The only thing I can reliably do anymore without distraction, is surf for porn.
- zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14
Isn't 'everything in moderation' a contradiction?
How about 'some things in moderation'? - mtfbwy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Sheesh. I'd disagree with the music comment. I found out in college that the library was much too quiet and distracting. LIstening to the walkman would help me get into the zone for doing math homework. Now, as a professional programmer, listening to music via earbuds makes me much more productive.
- zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I often see kids around ten or so, talkative and extroverted and bright, being told to be quiet or sit down by parents who are too busy reading a magazine or just don't want to be bothered.
Now he's sixteen and you want scintillating conversation, or you're going to take away his electronic nannies ..
Most selfish generation ever. - Filoviridae, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8What?! They're living in the world society has created for them. You can't blame them for trying to make use of the tools available so they can survive within it.
- LoneSniper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I hate multitasking at work. If they pay me only one salary then I am going to do one job at a time.
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Everything in moderation, I say.
- osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13blueigloo - YOU'RE sure you know the difference between your and you're? What is wrong with people that can't get that straight? "Then" is not used to compare two things. I would guess you are in the early stages of middle school judging by your "Englishology". The internet requires putting words together; if you can't do that with competence, please stay off and leave it to the big boys.
- VaporBro, on 10/26/2007, -9/+16Now presenting the SUPER NEGATIVE DIGG COMMENT
- foxter, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I agree wholeheartedly. I'm what people might call a gifted individual but ever since starting to do a lot of things at once, my life has turned into an ADD hell. Worst thing is that I can't stop now. I can't do one thing I enjoy, any thing for what matter, without checking my e-mail ten times, checking myspace ten times and updating my blog ten times. I've gotten used to this kind of life. Of course being a system administrator doesn't help either.
Lately, I've been reading Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas A. Limoncelli. It's pretty good and it echoes a lot of points from the article. - zenogais, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I understand this article, and pretty much have the same problem most of the time. But when I don't have all my gadgets on me (iPod, cellphone, etc...) I still manage just fine, a little bored depending on the situation, but fine. Believe it or not it is possible for us (teenagers) to live without this stuff.
- ph713, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5
It takes all kinds, like it always has. I consider myself to be very modernized in the sense we're discussing here, but I am also very much a Unitasker. I only do one thing at a time, but I think I'm far more capable of the intense focus some tasks require than the good Multitaskers are. That's why coding is an ideal job for me. I have the focus to ignore everything else in the world while I code for hours at a time. - D43PAN, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7"Excess in moderation. If you live your life in moderation you'll never get the full effect."
- Doug Stanhope - foshizol, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I think this is nonsense. I'm 38 and I find it relaxing when I get off of work to sit at my computer. Play some video games, check the news, and check my ebay auctions. If kids found it stressful to multitask they wouldn't do it. I'm sure like me they find it relaxing to sms their friends, or IM , or update their blog, etc.
When I was a kid I took a typing class, and the teacher would play music while we typed (jazz, rock, lots of classical). She said this would help our rhythm when it came to typing. Guess what, now I like to listen to music in my office while working, it helps me to focus.
According to this article the teacher was screwing me up, B.S. - ultimate_ed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5It's going to be really interesting to see what happens when these kids grow into adulthood. What kind of families are they going to have? Sure, we have crackberry adults now, but most of them have gotten into that as adults, it hasn't been a part of their life since birth.
My kids are 5 and 1 and while I want them to grow up to be geeks like me, I see I'm going to have to be careful to keep them from becoming part of this myspace mindset as they get older. The best I see being able to do is stay involved in their lives and making sure they are my priority.
As a parent, if you find yourself unable to push away from the computer, or unable to put down the cell phone becuase your child needs you - you need to take a look at your life becuase you are going to teach your kids some lessons that you probably don't want to. - Meowmix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Haha, you in Colorado? We just got a foot and a half of snow in a lot of places... Ah well, now the sun is out and it's warm. 34º warm. =P
On topic... I have to agree with this article, "in moderation" ;-). I am a gadget-freak. In my room alone, I have a PowerBook, an iMac, a currently dismantled PowerBook waiting for a new case, my Nintendo DS, several hard drives and RAM sticks, my cell phone, and tomorrow, I'll be adding a GP2X to the list. When I don't feel like working on a computer, I play on my DS, while listening to music.
About the music, it never stops. I have a very broad library (Yo-Yo Ma to Yngwie Malmsteen), and I always keep it playing. I can't read a book without either classical playing, or after drinking some coffee (which, because of ADHD, helps me concentrate. Or so I'm told).
When I go outside, I ride my bike, while using the headset on my cell, and looking for things to take pictures of with my camera. And I never go without at least my DS. Never know when I'm gonna get bored. =P
Do I have a problem? Hell yes.
Did every other generation before us have a problem? Again, yes.
Will this every change? NO.
The adult generation will always criticise the younger generations habits, because it means change. It has always been that way. Actually, "always" is more accurately interpreted "the last 150 years". Still, we're in a modern world, and habits change. Multi-tasking is natural. Just instead of sitting on a tractor and whistling while plowing the feilds, I'm working on a web page for someone while playing Advance Wars DS (I love that game). - Bayscion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Socrates ( Pronounced So - Crates, in honour of Bill S. Preston and Ted Theodore Logan ) - Corrosionx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Just like people in the 18th century couldn't get rid of their addiction to their horses. We sure kicked that habit didn't we?
- Polaris75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This is entirely true, it's just not something the majority of digg users can see because of who we are and they types of people we socialize with.
The majority of people aren't smart enough, and do not have the mental capacity to multitask. The children this article is talking about, are in fact hampered by multitasking, because they are too stupid to multitask. Why are they multitasking then? Because they want to be cool like everyone else around them ... Why is everyone else around them trying to multitask if they are incapable? Because they are trying to be cool like the geeks and intelligent people around them who are able to multitask. - bgartn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Unfortunately, I have to be a subscriber to Time to read their article it seems. But the message about dysfunctional kids and dysfunctional families preceeds this computer generation. So it's nothing new. So-called dysfunctional is no predictor of what one can or will become. Let's see, someone can multi-task, but we also call them dysfunctional? Seems that all depends on perspective of the observer. Not everyone is cut out to be socially adept, so maybe the computer provides a good outlet for those who otherwise would have been cast as undesirable by the current society. From reading the arstechnica piece, it almost sounds like the classic struggle between progress and those who yearn for the 'good old days'. The good old days never were as good as they get made out to be.
- t94xr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder).
Im into computers on a fairly advanced level, but unlike most I find it hard to learn Dynamic coding like PHP and such. I fail at advanced level mathematics and yet Im able to calculate how much is what on a comptuer and how much it would be, in the terms of RAM and HD space and stuff.
I've always been around them. It's no hell, I play on it.
I dont focus on the negatives, I focus on my strengths - which makes me a better computer technician. - Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I don't see how this is any different than my childhood.. just switch a few names around. I wasn't wasting my life on an Xbox 360.. it was an NES. I didn't have my laptop open while I watched TV.. it was a portable dumb-terminal hooked to an RS-232 modem and a shell account. I wasn't shunning real contact for SMS or IM.. I was shunning them for FidoNet, newsgroups, email, and IRC. I didn't listen to my iPod while I did my homework.. I listened to CDs or Cassettes and didn't do my homework at all (heh.)
This is old news, and we don't have attention prob.. Oh look, a shiney thing!! - recursive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@ commyostrich: You mean incorrect spelling irks you?
Genius piece of trolling sir. - KevInTx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I have to say that I don't agree with this article at all, it seems to be way to sensationalized for my taste. With just about any topic I can find some fault and beat it to death.
Humans adapt and grow, from generation to generation, every major technological advance has brought about social change. We are just beginning to see this change. Unfortunately the older we get, the less accepting or adaptable to change we become. From what I see it sounds more like a failure of the parents to adapt to the changes of the childrens world.
I'm 40 yet because of my chosen industry and the fact that I'm a big old computer geek, I and my peers are more like the kids of today. As other have said, I listen to music while I program at work and it makes me way more productive. I multitask all the time yet I'm still able to relax and focus on a topic when needed. From what I can see, most of the kids I know are far more social and informed... that's not a bad thing.
As someone else stated... too much of a good thing can be harmful. I guess it comes down to a question of balance.
My $0.02 worth. ;) - osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree, this can be used in so many facets of life! Moderation is key! Drink in moderation, watch tv in moderation, internet in moderation, eat in moderation, poop in moderation, etc.
- pingviini, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have ADD and I think it actually helps me when I am in a multitasking situation. However, I to have the ability to focus in on one thing. Its kind of like a 'hyper-focus'. But I can only do that when what I am doing is both interesting and mentally stimulating.
- djork, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I totally agree. I can't get jack squat done at work because I'm on here and on Joystiq, and some forums, listening to music, checking mail, buying car parts, writing worthless programs on my lappy 486, and finally working on the demo I have due for this afternoon.
When I go home it's multitasking of a different sort: eat, laundry, video games, exercise, work on the car, run errands, and all while paying attention to the fiance. That's too much crap. - kohan69, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Dugg and agreed. in fact, I'm doing my HW, reading 3 digg stories at once and working
- Thurloat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i can't function only doing on thing in a quiet room. quiet is what kills me. there always has to be more than one thing going on or i can't be productive. like when i'm writing code, i have to be listening to music, or watching TV, or talking to someone or etc. when sitting in a quiet room i get all bugged out and start tapping my feet and banging on my desk until there is ample ambient noise :)
so yea, i'm pretty sure there are a lot of people who couldn't function without multitasking, but i don't think it's hurting the teenagers, i think it's aiming them towards a more productive lifestyle. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I still know many teens that can't even put music on their iPod... or teens that actually pay for ringtones or backgrounds for their phone.
- Antz0rz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That is definatly me.
..I'm going to go insane, I know it. - matcrawf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2these people have no idea what they are talking about....
(while listening to my ipod, playing on facebook, and reading employment law, with an occassional sms) - Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The key to multitasking effectively is to multitask the way a single-core processor does -- one thing at a time, switching off as needed.
Identify all of your tasks.
Prioritize all of your tasks.
Work on the highest priority task until there's a break (no matter how short), where you have to wait before you do further work.
During that break, work on the next step on the next highest priority task.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Check progress on tasks that are working while you're not providing input regularly.
Most important - take regular breaks away from all tasks during the day. Ten minutes for every 60 or 90. Take an hour lunch away from your desk. - scooterbaga, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There needs to be more attention paid to the benefits of relaxation and meditation. Make sure you know how to just sit or lay somewhere and calmly do nothing and think about nothing. I live with a family of stressheads. I’d be just as messed up if I didn’t understand how to just shutdown and unplug for awhile. They need to make relaxation a required class like GYM.
- bigkm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I feel the same way
- cessax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I recall seeing an article on Digg awhile ago which said multitasking was good for you. I think Time magazine is inflicting a false sense of fear on us with this article. They also don't mention that mulitasking has become a more easily achieveable routine since the rapid growth of technology development.
- Karyyk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't see how this is necessarily bad for you. If you're starting umpteen different tasks and not finishing a one, that's one thing, but if you're gaining something out of all of it, completing what you want and not letting it overrun your life, what's the big deal? Once again someone takes what is much less common, and applies it as a gross generalization upon society in general. Yes, I multitask (and how can being able to watch one NCAA Tourney game on TV while I have a second on my laptop and cook dinner while downloading software be a bad thing?). I sleep well, I get out, I have a life. The fact that you multitask isn't a bad thing (comes in handy at the workplace too...I'd be overrun if I couldn't, even though the pace is relaxed), it's the inability to disconnect that's harmful. I'm sure their answer will be more prescription drugs...
- draj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Is there like an AA forum for multitaskers? -"Hi, I'm Draj, I read 3 mailboxes everyother minute, hanging in the Digg que while designing an enterprise data management system. I'm a multitasker...?".
- lokai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I will agree that multitasking is not such a good thing. A person simply cannot perform multiple tasks at the same time to the best of one's ability. More will get done, but what gets done will be of a lesser quality.
- kc7gr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm going to put this as short and simply as I can.
I know where the POWER OFF switches are on every device I own.
I'm not in the least afraid to use them. - jhub908, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yeah...nothing should be popular, ever. No one should ever like the same thing because that means they have no personality. And why have fashion? Let's all wear burlap sacks around! Caring about what you look like is sooo overrated. *rolls eyes* I don't know how old you are, but you should realize things have always been this way and always will be, just with different items, not cellphones and CD's, don't think every generation hasn't been like this. Yes, I agree fashion gets stupid after a certain point but I don't see anything wrong with at least trying to look somewhat nice for yourself and others.
(I'm not under 18) - Niloy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Where can I read the full-version of the original TIME article? Aside from the magazine, that is.
- jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Aside from increasing my Alcohol Consumption this week (break) i'd say I will do nothing of value... Except disagree with this internet post, because it's mandatory for me to do just that.
Now on to my day... damn its cold out and snow everywhere... ***** winter storm... - dbr_onix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"aren't used for notetaking anymore, but for IMing your friends about how boring the lecture is"
Doesn't that maybe show things like schools are the things that should change. Kids shouldn't have to bend around something they already don't want to have anything to do with.. If school was fun, you think there'd be nearly as many problems with education as there is now (Well, education and a lack of it)
Though out the whole of high-school, I listened to music when ever I could, talked to friends almost constantly, but I listened to the teachers, got on with work etc, and come exams, didn't make a huge deal out of them, but I done fine. I found that the classes I didn't do as well are the ones that had "old" teachers (not phsyicaly old, but in rules/what they though was acceptable), the ones that let people listen to music while writing, talk without getting shouted at, lessons that didn't involve copying out text-books, and similar things, A, people acctualy showed up, B, people done better..
The education system is pretty similar to as it was years ago, but it's obvious people aren't.. Something needs to change and people are hard to change..
Anyway, I think some people do get stressed with having to do to much etc, but others don't, but then again, I'm sure they'd still get stressed even if they had less thigns happening at once..
I think the article is making too big a deal of this, and my bets are on it's written by someone over.. 40?
Times have changed, and change it good o/
- Ben - jhoderd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This doesn't surprise me. I was feeling quite stressed and "info-overloaded" until I learned that sometimes we just need to give our brains a break. Switch off your mobile phone, forget instant messaging, emailing and digging. Instead, go for a walk in the park and play with your dog. People need to learn that processing information is very demanding on the brain, and that if we don't give it a chance to rest every now and then problems like stress and depression will follow. I found a Wikibook with some very interesting advice; it was written for people suffering from depression and burnout, but there is something there for everyone. It helped me, anyways.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Demystifying_Depression - IHaveIssues, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6This iPod generation shuns sociallization for earbuds and loud music. Nothing good can come of that. Add to that the current trend of consumerism excess and it spells disaster for little Dakota and Spencer.
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