Multi-tasking

1. 71

   alekhouseposted 14 years ago

   There's evidence that women multi-task more than men. Wondered if that was really true. How many of you hubbers multi-task and to what extreme?

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      badcompany99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I would actually agree with that, I am crap at multi-tasking !

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         Early C.posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Ther is also evidence that multi-tasking drops your productivity to a point where you should have performed each task seperatly

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      TrinaLynneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Some days I can't walk and chew bubble gum....lol. But usually I can type, deal with the kids, make dinner and talk on the phone.....lol. Just call me superwoman.

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2. 61

   feeweewvposted 14 years ago

   I have to say, I am a multi-tasler to the extreme. Right now, I am texting on my phone, hubbing, cooking dinner and watching Oprah.  I have to say, also, I am fully involved in each lil project.

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   \Brenda Scullyposted 14 years ago

   some men can watch football, and drink beer at the same time....

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      CabinGirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The Captain can't, he even spills that

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      Amanda Severnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      So they say!

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   3. 71

      alekhouseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good one, Brenda!

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      Teresa McGurkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      lol  but when you ask them what the score is, they always look at their watches, have you noticed that one?

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         \Brenda Scullyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I will look out for that next time...

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4. 96

   Dolores Monetposted 14 years ago

   multi-tasking is an over-rated ability. when you multi-task, you really don't concentrate on any one thing and teach yourself to lose focus and, in effect, become ADD

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      Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The trick is in knowing what tasks can be done at the same time.  Letting the washing machine run while the pasta is boiling while you're waiting for hair to dry while you're writing are just a matter of quickly checking on whatever you've got going. (Voila - at some point the laundry's done, dinner's cooked, your hair is ready for the curling iron, and you've written an article.    )

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      alekhouseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You are absolutely right, except for the part about ADD. If you have ADD or are prone to it, multi-tasking could make it worse, but it wont cause it. 
      
      The brain can only process one thing at a time, so when you're multi-tasking it has to switch back and forth among the various tasks.
      
      But we're not talking whether or not multi-tasking is good or bad. The question asked who does it the more, men or women, and to what extreme.

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         Christenstockposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I am a multi-tasking machine! If cigarettes were waterproof, I'd smoke and surf at the same time.
         
         On the ADD note, males suffer more from such disorders and learning disabilities by more than 50% over females. Because of this, I would say that the ability for females to learn and multi-task are considerably higher than males. Some MITers have discovered a gene more prevalent in females over males, thus providing some support to this multi-tasking theory; which may also lead to the premise of higher ADD stats in males over females.

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   \Brenda Scullyposted 14 years ago

   does that mean he is not a man or he can not multi task...

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      badcompany99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The Captain is deff all man but I have already said I can't multi-task, be impossible to do two things at once.

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         CabinGirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I can

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            badcompany99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Well ain't you just the cleverest lil thing, just remember yer shore leave finishes on Friday wench !

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         Enelle Lambposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Cap'n - doesn't that depend on the task?

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      alekhouseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Heavens no! Honestly, I don't know what it means. We're just talkin' about what is and what isn't, not the implications of such. Actually I just wrote an article on it, on another site. I would put it on here, but I'm afraid the hub police would get me.

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   frogdroppingposted 14 years ago

   I can't multi-task. At. All.
   
   And I'm proud of it. One thing at a time. I like to give my full attention yadda yadda.
   
   *wanders away yapping on the phone, carrying coffee and kicks the Dragon*

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   diplessposted 14 years ago

   Yeah us men are no good at multi-tasking, makes me sad i want to be able to do more than one thing at once

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   cindyvineposted 14 years ago

   I have to be able to multi-task to get things done!

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   trish1048posted 14 years ago

   I feel women do it more, simply because when you have kids, more often than not, the mom has to juggle many things.  All the father has to do is go to work, come home, plop on the couch, and grab the remote, then yell, hey hon, bring me a beer
   
   Seriously, I can and do multi-task both at work and at home.  I hate it at work because my belief is, as another poster said, bits of things are getting done.  I would much rather work on one, possibly two projects at a time.  When you have to handle more than that, the quality suffers.  Add to the multi-tasks constant interruptions to drop what you're doing to handle yet another issue, well, it makes for a very stressful work day.  When I was in a production environment, all they cared about were the numbers, however, they also wanted 100% accuracy.  Well, guess what?  It's impossible to have both.  If someone out there says it is possible, then I guess they walk on water too.

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   1. 71

      alekhouseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      "I feel women do it more, simply because when you have kids, more often than not, the mom has to juggle many things.  All the father has to do is go to work, come home,"
      
      This is exactly right, according to the research: Women have been doing this since early times. Pioneer women are marvelous examples of multi-taskers. They cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, chopped the wood, took care of the kids, the house and the family; made their clothes, etc. etc. And the guys went hunting.

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    HealthCare Basicsposted 14 years ago

    I can multi-task if need be. I ocassionally am writing a Hub, checking Mom is not lighting my deck on fire when she takes in a cig, cook dinner, and talk on the Bluetooth..... and that's when I noticed my one little dog lifting a leg on the trash can because I failed to hear his signal to go out.....

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    LondonGirlposted 14 years ago

    My other half maintains it's impossilbe to look after a child and do anything else (cooking, cleaning) at the same time. I don't have that problem (-:

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       Mishaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       That's a gender thing, ya know

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       megs78posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       My husband has never actually voiced that its impossible to look after children and keep a house at the same time, but when I leave him and the kids, I come back to some pretty big messes.  The thing is, I let it go, because he is a really good dad, and when he's there, he's there.  I, on the other hand, do it all, but for some reason, I'm good at it.  I don't really know why I am, I just am.  Must be a mom thing.  or girl thing.  Who knows?
       
       
       Megs

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          LondonGirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I take the piss, but my OH is fantastic with our son, so I don't do it too much (-:

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    Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

    When my kids were little, if I left them with their father for a half hour while I ran to the store, he would essentially situate himself on the couch and truly "watch" them (not supervise, not intervene, not anything - just watch).     Apparently, he wasn't a multi-tasking father either.

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       alekhouseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Got a good laugh out of this! Soooo funny

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13. 78

    Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

    Let's see. Right now I'm watching So You Think You Can Dance?, reading the forums, reading another site's forum, and petting the cat who is sitting next to me.

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    Teresa McGurkposted 14 years ago

    I usually have five or six different windows open on my laptop, and have three or four writing projects on the go at once, so I can go from one to the other.  At the moment I am IM-ing writing this, reading new hubs, writing two, and watching Hulu.com.

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    R. Blueposted 14 years ago

    I prefer intense concentration on one goal at a time... I like to savor the object of my attention......I eat one thing at a time.....saving the best for last.   Yes...I'm a great multitasker.

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    Beth100posted 14 years ago

    The only way for me to start, maintain and complete projects and run a home is to multitask.  It's not unusual for me.  I think that I'd be at a lost as to what to do if I didn't have at least 12 balls up in the air at the same time!! 

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    lafentyposted 14 years ago

    I think multi-tasking is a necessity of life these days.

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    rapmanualposted 14 years ago

    I think its about getting things done when it's most needed at the right time. Just juggle things so they work that way, you don't need sticky notes, use a common text editor and minimize it.

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