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Home › Relationships

Question of the Day | 10/15/2009 4:00 am

Is multitasking something to move toward or away from?

Joan Ganz Cooney, Candice Bergen and Liz Smith answer our question — while doing nothing else, we presume.
© Shutterstock
Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen | 10/15/2009 12:00 am

Candice Bergen on What Destroyed Our Attention Spans

Multitasking seems to have wormed its way into our brain matter and I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but it’s tough to turn back now. What’s most distressing is multitasking when driving. Oy. That gets me nuts. Texting. Talking. Drinking. Watching TV. All the while at the wheel. Insane.

 

And I think it has destroyed our attention spans. Well, on top of MTV rapid cutting. We don’t stand a chance of sustaining a thought or conversation over a minute and a half.

comments14 Comments
Liz Smith

Liz Smith | 10/15/2009 12:00 am

Liz Smith: When Multitasking Turns Deadly

Probably it is something to move away from because that way inevitably lies madness, mistakes and misunderstandings. But as life becomes more pressured, most of us will keep doing it to some extent. We can’t help it.

However, we better stop talking on the phone and/or texting or e-mailing or using gadgets while driving our cars. That is a recipe for sudden death.

comments10 Comments
Joan Ganz Cooney

Joan Ganz Cooney | 10/15/2009 12:00 am

One Reason Joan Ganz Cooney Doesn't Encourage Concentrating on Two Things at Once

When I was a child I used to listen to the radio while I did homework. My stepchildren used to watch television, talk to classmates on the phone and do their homework. I have no idea whether it’s good or bad. I wouldn’t encourage it because I know excellence demands concentration, but it will go on no matter what I think.
comments6 Comments
Read more about: Balance, Lifestyle, Management

32 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

starry Nite

Our brain and body is a magnificent machine.  Multitasking is here to stay.  We need to master it.  Somethings just need to be savored.  We need periodic  downtimes. 

By starry Nite on 10/16/2009 1:40 am
Suzanne Frazier
Do it while you can. As you age, the process doesn’t happen. I used to multi-task all the time and was very good at it. Now at age 62, I just can’t get all the "balls in the air at one time." It’s gets more interesting as the years add on.  The multi-tasking slows down, even if one is not prepared to behave in that manner.
By Suzanne Frazier on 10/16/2009 4:08 pm
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