Mar 26th, 2007
The limits of Multi-Tasking
A number of recent studies show that people simply can’t multi-task well. The potential loss to productivity is huge. While some in the tech industry have known about this for a long time, (the 1987 book Peopleware warns of the dangers of task switching) the public at large is probably unaware of how much productivity is lost just by checking your email.
Several research reports, both recently published and not yet published, provide evidence of the limits of multitasking. The findings, according to neuroscientists, psychologists and management professors, suggest that many people would be wise to curb their multitasking behavior when working in an office, studying or driving a car.
Read: Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Don’t Read This in Traffic - New York Times