Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
Actually, it's been demonstrated in several studies that multitasking most likely does degrade cognitive functioning.
Some of the smack talk is probably exaggerated, but I see no problems with the general premise that constantly switching your focus may be psychologically satisfying while degrading our ability to perform most types of cognitive tasks.
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As much as the OS X Lion "full screen" mode has been denigrated it is really designed to be a "focus" mode. It is much different than maximizing a window on a PC. It removes the doc, the menu bar so you can focus on the one app, or job you are working on.
So, yes multi-tasking slows productivity due to the context switching overhead.. but it isn't computers that "cause it" they just allow it or make it easier.
I think this topic is quite covered in Covy's getting things done. Part of his system is organizing tasks so that you do all your like task together so you are context shifting less often. Do all your email, then do all your phone calls, then do your word processing, then your research, etc.
BOb