News flash: multitasking in the workplace began in the 19th century. (Parents, of course, have always multitasked.) Researcher Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted, says, “We can’t just blame the Blackberry” for the fact that the average office worker is interrupted about every 3 minutes and then needs about 30 minutes to get back on task. The resulting cost to business has been estimated at $650 billion per year.

“You can’t produce deeply in a distractable environment — we have to stop kidding ourselves about that,” she says. “We’re existing on snippets and glimpses of each other.”

Researchers are sure people can learn to focus better. Even just talking with children about how to pay attention, Jackson says, has led to some gains.

My high school students like to say they work better when they are watching TV and doing homework at the same time. This practice does not lead to their best writing. Sadly, it probably *does* help prepare them for the work world.

Read Jackson’s article at Business Week: May We Have Your Attention, Please?

Posted Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:01:48 and filed under Teaching, Education, Research. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.