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Don’t Multi-task as you read this!

By MIT CIO | April 9, 2008

Newsweek recently ran an article that spoke about the downside of something many of us take for granted, and perhaps even tout as a ‘core competency’ – multi-tasking.  Researchers have apparently found a negative correlation between multi-tasking and rational decision making. 

Now, if that’s not scary enough, consider this – a survey of 5000 people conducted in Finland found that 79% of the respondents engage in multi-tasking.  And women apparently mult-task better than men!  In that survey half the respondents believed they were ‘productive’ while multi-tasking and 31% described themselves as ‘busy’.

What do you think?  Are you multi-tasking even as you are reading this blog?  In your experience, does multi-tasking help you do more, or are you more efficient being ‘sequential’?  How do your teams function best?

Read the Newsweek article here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/130563

Find more about the Nokia survey at: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1170280

Topics: Improving Workforce Efficiency & Reducing IT Barriers | No Comments »

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