Udhay....I am glad you are doing this introspection...whenever I communicate with you, you always seems to be doing several things at once!
I agree that as with everything, in moderation it is good, carried to excess, it stresses one out. This is made worse by people around you identifying you as a multitasker and assuming that you will always be able to do it.
But each person's stress threshold is different...er, mine is VERY low..I can rarely multitask with any degree of success.
Deepa.
On 7/28/06, Udhay Shankar N <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
A more catchy (and more accurate) name might be "Modern Life Syndrome".
I think that this has resonance with some of my periodic rants about
how the rat race has evolved in ways that (almost) inevitably suck
out enthusiasm from the soul.
Udhay
http://continuouspartialattention.jot.com/WikiHome
Continuous Partial Attention
What is continuous partial attention?
Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our
attention today. It is different from multi-tasking. The two are
differentiated by the impulse that motivates them. When we
multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and
more efficient. We're often doing things that are automatic, that
require very little cognitive processing. We give the same priority
to much of what we do when we multi-task -- we file and copy papers,
talk on the phone, eat lunch -- we get as many things done at one
time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and
in order to be more efficient and more productive.
To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention --
CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the
network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be
connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize
for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given
moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be
recognized, and to matter.
We pay continuous partial attention in an effort NOT TO MISS
ANYTHING. It is an always-on, anywhere, anytime, any place behavior
that involves an artificial sense of constant crisis. We are always
in high alert when we pay continuous partial attention. This
artificial sense of constant crisis is more typical of continuous
partial attention than it is of multi-tasking.
Is continuous partial attention a good thing or a bad thing?
Like so many things, in small doses, continuous partial attention can
be a very functional behavior. However, in large doses, it
contributes to a stressful lifestyle, to operating in crisis
management mode, and to a compromised ability to reflect, to make
decisions, and to think creatively. In a 24/7, always-on world,
continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode
contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-stimulation and to a
sense of being unfulfilled. We are so accessible, we're inaccessible.
The latest, greatest powerful technologies have contributed to our
feeling increasingly powerless.
What do we do about it?
We have focused on managing our time. Our opportunity is to focus on
how we manage our attention. We are evolving beyond an always-on
lifestyle. As we make choices to turn the technology OFF, to give
full attention to others in interactions, to block out
interruption-free time, and to use the full range of communication
tools more appropriately, we will re-orient our trek toward a path of
more engaged attention, more fulfulling relationships, and
opportunities for the type of reflection that fuels innovation.
Why care?
There is a wonderful evolution taking place. Understanding how it's
unfolding offers insights into what drives us and what inspires us.
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
