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Ironically, I have a feeling that this is falling off the front page so quickly because most people don't have the time/interest to read through a 6-page PDF.
by chimeracoder 13y ago
Ironically, I have a feeling that this is falling off the front page so quickly because most people don't have the time/interest to read through a 6-page PDF.
I'll pick out the paragraph that sticks with me the most:
> Then again, perhaps we will simply adjust and come to accept what
James called “acquired inattention.” E-mails pouring in, cell phones ring-
ing, televisions blaring, podcasts streaming—all this may become back-
ground noise, like the “din of a foundry or factory” that James observed
workers could scarcely avoid at first, but which eventually became just
another part of their daily routine. For the younger generation of multi-
taskers, the great electronic din is an expected part of everyday life. And
given what neuroscience and anecdotal evidence have shown us, this state
of constant intentional self-distraction could well be of profound detri-
ment to individual and cultural well-being. When people do their work
only in the “interstices of their mind-wandering,” with crumbs of atten-
tion rationed out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in
information, but it will surely weaken in wisdom.
I've recently become very aware of the cognitive load of popup notifications, phone push notifications, etc. I went for a week during which I turned off all of these, and once I turned them on again, I was surprised by how incredibly irritated they made me, not to mention much less productive.
YMMV - I just would like us all to make these decisions consciously for ourselves, rather than passively.
- lurkinggrue 13y agoThank you, once I hit that PDF I was longing for a TLDR.
- Lucy_karpova 13y agoWhile trying Not to multitask, I find it really pleasant to do only one thing at a time. First, you learn how to do several things at once, and after you master the skill –here you go –you start really appreciating ability to concentrate only on one thing. Reading papares on pros and cons of multitasking only proves this experience.