Comments on: Is Shared Attention Making Us Dumber? http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/is-shared-attention-making-us-dumber/ Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:53:51 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Andrea Emerson http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/is-shared-attention-making-us-dumber/#comment-10 Andrea Emerson Fri, 16 May 2008 18:43:00 +0000 http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/is-shared-attention-making-us-dumber/#comment-10 Thanks for the visit and input, Michael! Thanks for the visit and input, Michael!

]]> By: Michael Henreckson http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/is-shared-attention-making-us-dumber/#comment-9 Michael Henreckson Fri, 16 May 2008 18:03:00 +0000 http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/is-shared-attention-making-us-dumber/#comment-9 Single tasking definitely is important. Yesterday pretty much all I did was respond to stuff from others, that's all well and good, but what it essentially meant is that I wasn't running my own schedule. I was going where the schedule took me. It's very important to tune out the distractions and focus on one thing. That's probably why my best work yesterday was when I spent an hour getting started on one of my essay intensive finals after everyone else was in bed.<br/><br/>For information workers especially, there are a lot of rabbit trails you can start down at a moments notice. That's why when the deadlines are really looming, I turn off email and everything else and just get stuff done. Deadlines are nice that way, because they force you to concentrate.<br/><br/>I also think Penelope was right, and the statement just might go for boys too. ;) Single tasking definitely is important. Yesterday pretty much all I did was respond to stuff from others, that’s all well and good, but what it essentially meant is that I wasn’t running my own schedule. I was going where the schedule took me. It’s very important to tune out the distractions and focus on one thing. That’s probably why my best work yesterday was when I spent an hour getting started on one of my essay intensive finals after everyone else was in bed.

For information workers especially, there are a lot of rabbit trails you can start down at a moments notice. That’s why when the deadlines are really looming, I turn off email and everything else and just get stuff done. Deadlines are nice that way, because they force you to concentrate.

I also think Penelope was right, and the statement just might go for boys too. ;)

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