# I am sick to freakin' death of multi-tasking **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 2, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764 "2005-09-02T18:01:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/1 "2005-09-02T18:01:23Z")
Just sayin’. As you were. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/2 "2005-09-02T18:03:20Z")
Sorry. I missed that. I was giving my students a quiz while sufing the Dope, answering email from parents and snacking on a quesadilla. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/3 "2005-09-02T18:17:16Z")
Nah, that’s like me at home – playing Rocket Mania, carrying on three IM conversations, watching TV, snacking, and reading the Dope. That’s screwing around. Multi-tasking is proofreading one book, checking corrections on another, faxing pages to test-solver on a third, training a newbie on a fourth – and reading the Dope. That’s just stressful. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/4 "2005-09-02T18:17:39Z")
If you spread your efforts around as thinly as your OP, then you are probably right. It is time to cut it back some. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/5 "2005-09-02T18:39:36Z")
Put that CrackBerry on the table and step away! ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/6 "2005-09-02T18:41:25Z")
I’m eating fries, reading the Dope, drinking my soda, and occasionally looking around me to see if any work has materialized. It’s a rough life. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/7 "2005-09-02T18:44:46Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I’m eating fries, reading the Dope, drinking my soda, and occasionally looking around me to see if any work has materialized. > > It’s a rough life. I think you and I have had this exact conversation on some previous Friday afternoon. (Soda? I thought you got a shake?) ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/8 "2005-09-02T18:46:53Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I think you and I have had this exact conversation on some previous Friday afternoon. > > (Soda? I thought you got a shake?) It may have been the day before Thanksgiving. 🙂 And I got both, 'cause I knew it’d be that kind of afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/9 "2005-09-02T20:31:14Z")
I’m much better at work-avoidance than I am at true multi-tasking. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/10 "2005-09-02T21:49:15Z")
I know it’s dreadfully unpopular in today’s culture, but dammit, I like to _single_-task. I like to focus on one thing at a time with as few distractions as possible. I find it makes for a pretty stress-free life. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/11 "2005-09-02T22:43:07Z")
I rarely do more than 2 things at once (or less) thanks to ADD. Right now I’m Doping and playing the clarinet in short alternating bursts. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/12 "2005-09-02T23:17:21Z")
I will fully respect your right to hate multi-tasking if you will respect the fact that often to stay fully engaged I am best off to be in the middle of several things simultaneously. Do what works for you! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/13 "2005-09-02T23:25:50Z")
I hate it when people claim they’re multi-tasking when in actuality, they have the attention span of a… Oh, Oprah’s on! ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/14 "2005-09-03T13:36:13Z")
Multi-tasking: A way to take a large pile of tasks and never finish any of them. At least that’s how it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/15 "2005-09-03T13:56:14Z")
Yeah, when I was trying to finish, um, job 2 of the above, I noticed something I’d missed when I was doing that and job 1 simultaneously – so, no, we didn’t get it done and off my desk yesterday, I’m going to have to mop something up Monday morning. Ah well, better than having the book go out with two lines missing from one of the answers. ---
**Author:** ![Watcher\_of\_the\_Skies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@Watcher\_of\_the\_Skies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Watcher_of_the_Skies)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/16 "2005-09-03T17:00:44Z")
If there’s any other way to live, I haven’t figured it out yet. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/17 "2005-09-03T23:46:13Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yeah, when I was trying to finish, um, job 2 of the above, I noticed something I’d missed when I was doing that and job 1 simultaneously – so, no, we didn’t get it done and off my desk yesterday, I’m going to have to mop something up Monday morning. > > Ah well, better than having the book go out with two lines missing from one of the answers. Are you working Labor Day? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/18 "2005-09-04T00:02:50Z")
> [@Feydeau](#): > > Are you working Labor Day? :smack: Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/19 "2005-09-05T02:09:41Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Nah, that’s like me at home – playing Rocket Mania, carrying on three IM conversations, watching TV, snacking, and reading the Dope. That’s screwing around. > > Multi-tasking is proofreading one book, checking corrections on another, faxing pages to test-solver on a third, training a newbie on a fourth – and reading the Dope. That’s just stressful. 😉 I agree completely with **pestie** and **BoringDad** : do one thing and do it right, until it’s done. (I had one boss, luckily not for long, whose instructions tended towards “Do something great sometime, in between all the other stuff that’s happening.” Drove me crazy.) Meanwhile, Zyada also plays Rocket Mania, the online version, and wonders what level you’ve reached. She’s made it to Disciple of the Pearl (just above Disciple of the Lotus, if she remembers correctly). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764/20 "2005-09-05T02:42:01Z")
> [@rjk](#): > > Meanwhile, Zyada also plays Rocket Mania, the online version, and wonders what level you’ve reached. She’s made it to Disciple of the Pearl (just above Disciple of the Lotus, if she remembers correctly). I play the strategy version, for months at a time. The highest score I got to was around 12 or 13 million, till I had to do a hard reboot one night ( ☹ ). I’m up to 7.4 million in my current game, which is about a month and a half old. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-sick-to-freakin-death-of-multi-tasking/319764.md?page=2)