I find it strange in an evolutionary way. We had too many "discoveries" in the field of neuroscience and psychology only to be reverse so I wouldn't trust the findings too much.
Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
281–290 of 303 posts
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#282Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's interesting to read so many comments against marathon sessions. I can't imagine reading the same set of comments 20 years ago (when I was young and a frequent marathoner, as were my teammates). Is this indicative of a cultural shift in the industry? Or collective learning? Or might it just be that no 20 somethings are commenting here and it's just a sample bias resulting from older commentators? Do 20 something…
This “Type-A” hustle mentality resonates with me. I do see lots of people pushing back on it, ie ridiculing JD’s that mention passion, emphasizing work-life balance, disdain for “brogrammer” culture, etc. This seems especially prevalent on Twitter. My personal life doesn’t allow me to do marathons. If I was single I would probably be hauling ass all day every day. I understand the health implications, but the desire…
So to be clear, the myth of the 10x programmer is the person that learns Japanese when you start working with Japan as a market, sits around a lot talking about various types of teas, has an eidetic memory, has 3 months to write a major new service, and just thinks about it for like 2.5 months then comes in and types it in, in 30 hours. Not some well meaning person that makes up for a lack of skill by longer hours. Typing the wrong code in at 10 pm is harming the whole company. Hardworking and well-meaning programmers typing out a lot of code can be a disaster. The myth is "Much better the smart but lazy genius who thinks till the right solution is intuitively obvious."
Now I've know a few people like that, but in general it is a myth. But at least get the right myth. Long hours are not part of 10x myth. I mean unless you mean loves math/computer/etc. and is always learning weird complicated stuff. But that's "taking care of your mental flexibility and strength" not "working long hours to meet a deadline."
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#283Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bet they're not taking a lot of it in. Youth might convey certain enhanced abilities to switch between tasks efficiently denied to older people, but I'm willing to bet that even at the simple level of "computer game while on a call" sacrifices some of the attention of one of those things. Related, my kids make grumpy faces when I tell them to turn off "background" Netflix or YouTube while they're doing their homewo…
> Related, my kids make grumpy faces when I tell them to turn off "background" Netflix or YouTube while they're doing their homework. Are you aware of the reason why you are doing this? Have you examined your reasoning as thoroughly as the faces of your children seem to tell you? Do parts of your body feel numb?
> Are you aware of the reason why you are doing this? Have you examined your reasoning as thoroughly as the faces of your children seem to tell you?
What? It's simple isn't it? Multitasking doesn't work, all having these things on in the background will do is distract from the homework they need to do. This is literally a comment on an article about how multitasking doesn't work.
> Do parts of your body feel numb?
What the hell sort of question is this?
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, this is correct. I don't think flow applies if attention is divided.
Very cool that you accepted the feedback. Not easy to do, so take a moment to honor yourself for that.
I agree, but wow it's a sad indication of where we are that this is notable.
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
The market isn't dominated by youth needs. It might seem that way because your selection shrinks over time, but try this model: Finding good books is a multi-armed bandit problem, and most of us follow intuitively a strategy well suited to that - explore (figure out which levers to pull, or which kinds of writing you care about, by randomly pursuing) and exploit (pick things that you know to be good because you spent…
That sounds like awful lot of work for very little gain. Which is exactly the difference between market that is dominated by people like you and the one that does not. I don't need to go out of way to explore to find tv series I will like. That market is clearly dominated by people like me.
That is how humans behave instinctively. It isn't work. It just happens. The same will happen to your TV series. At some point, you'll like different stuff.
It also isn't "little gain" - it's the most efficient approach to the multi-armed bandit problem. Other approaches are less efficient.
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, but if you have a less open ended question then I'm happy to answer.
I am wondering what type of work you found that was better suited to the conclusions of your experiences.
What did it for me was financial independence. It's easier to set boundaries when the fear of missing out is gone.
When I started setting those boundaries (eg: not working evenings, weekends, etc) I discovered a few interesting things.
1) No one even noticed. It turns out most people are busy enough with their personal lives that my work schedule isn't on anyone's mind.
2) When there are delays we just push the date or adjust the scope. I'm no longer getting pats on the back for moving the needle at light speed, but I'm still outperforming my peers.
3) Now I need to be mindful about how I make my decisions. When I brute forced, I would throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. I'd eventually find the optimal solution to a problem and that's the only thing other people would see. They didn't see the 100 other failed attempts and wasted time. Now I don't have 100 attempts at solving a problem: I have like 5 attempts. It works out fine.
Could I have been doing this all along? Was my chaotic brute force working model just a lot of wasted energy? Could I have just worked smarter, not harder?
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#287I have been noticing the impact of excessive multitasking on myself lately, and I am now actively trying to avoid it. At first i thought that multitasking would increase my overall efficiency by filling in gaps of downtime in certain tasks, but it soon turned me into a person incapable of focusing on anything deeply. One day, I noticed that I am unable to read a book the same way i did as a child (cover to cover in o…
I struggle with how to handle this at work. I am a data engineer and while writing new scripts to pull data, the testing process sometimes involves waiting 15 mins to an hour (or more) for all the data to pull. Some times I'll start a new task in the middle of the pull or, if I expect it'll only be a few minutes, I'll flip out my phone. But once the data is finished pulling, I'll then need to jump back it and validat…
I read in a book, the idea is to break away from a similar kind of task and get back to it after break. If you are still at the computer doing other things while the code is being executed, you are in the same zone different task. But if you use the breaks to do a completely different activity you will be able to come back with a fresh mind and do the task well.
So read a paper book , take a walk, print research papers and read them when you are waiting,
The idea is to treat each of the tasks between waiting as individual task.
Edit: book mind of numbers
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cooking and talking is multitasking if you make an elaborate dish requiring skill and focus. It isn't otherwise. Listening and jogging isn't, unless you struggle with some serious mobility impediment. Sitting in a meeting is very rarely a cognitively challenging task as well.
Sure sitting alone is not, but what about listening and taking notes?
You still are focused on one context only. Maybe if you have dyslexia and have to focus on the writing.
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Related, my kids make grumpy faces when I tell them to turn off "background" Netflix or YouTube while they're doing their homework. Are you aware of the reason why you are doing this? Have you examined your reasoning as thoroughly as the faces of your children seem to tell you? Do parts of your body feel numb?
> Are you aware of the reason why you are doing this? Have you examined your reasoning as thoroughly as the faces of your children seem to tell you? What? It's simple isn't it? Multitasking doesn't work, all having these things on in the background will do is distract from the homework they need to do. This is literally a comment on an article about how multitasking doesn't work. > Do parts of your body feel numb? Wh…
No, it isn't simple at all.
You described yourself as extremely self-centered and you didn't seem to notice that you did so. I'm wondering if you are one of those people who seem to only ever use the left side of their brain. You can function in the role of a father in this mode but don't expect your kids to take care of you when you're old if you never respect their opinions and desires. I'm reaching out to you because what you wrote seem tragic to me.
Applying human sensibilities to the result of an evolutionary process is not going to capture all its intricacies because evolution re-uses systems with no regard to taxonomy. Because of this you are for example unable to tell the difference between anxiety and gas trapped in your stomach, or tension in your neck and stress from work. There is no duality which lets us separate mind and body, and apparently people can get so out of tune with their own body, mind and emotions that physical numbness results.
Re: Multitasking hurts performance and may even damage the brain (2018)
#290Earlier quoted context omitted.
I understand the premise of what you're saying, but I also feel like you're downplaying the upside: > It didn't help that I was rewarded with more money, more respect, and more decision making power. I was even rewarded with more knowledge than everyone else -- you learn a lot working 12 hours a day. And if you screw something up you have plenty of time to fix it
This is true. I was only able to reflect on these things after "making it". I feel comfortable financially and confident that I'll get work for the rest of my life, if I need it. There was a cost though. Like a greek tragedy of sorts. It cost me my health. I don't get to enjoy the spoils of "victory" as much as I would have when I felt healthy. Health is now a factor to consider daily and, in my case, it's directly a…
I've been a developer for 40+ years and can really relate to this sub-thread. Now I'm spending time with my grand-children do I realise how much time I missed when my own children were growing up. Working those hours, building those products, helping the company grow, weeks on site, 96 hour weeks... all seemed so important then - and less so now.
I still love coding, learning new stuff and occasionally burning the candle, but I'll never again make it my god.