The construction “zen and the art of ____” (e.g. perhaps the most influential book on my life) indicates a state of mindfulness regarding a particular endeavor. This state of being is exactly the opposite of the state of being associated with multitasking.
When one is mindful one may be able to truly identify with one’s task (and one’s self) — a state of mind and resulting performance that leads to quality.
We’re all aware that using cell phones while driving leads to poor quality because driving is a complex task that requires mindfulness to produce quality results.
According to The New York Times today, talking on a cell phone even makes walking more dangerous. The article mentions a phenomenon called “inattention blindness” that can be caused by electronic devices because, as the theory goes, you tend to create pictures in your head to replace what you’re not seeing (i.e. the person you’re talking to and the situations you’re talking about). So you’re paying attention to the pictures in your head instead of that pole you’re about to walk into, or the bicyclist you’re about to right-hook, or the child you’re about to run over.
Let me gently suggest that we’d all be a lot happier if we stopped the multitasking maddness. We’ll also be smarter, healthier, and safer. And we might even begin to remember that the moving objects around us are actually real human beings.
Comments 5
Well said Andrew.
Posted 17 Jan 2010 at 12:36 pm ¶An unaswered question is to what extent does this also occur from traditional radio programming? I often listen to the radio. I imagine that some radio/song combinations might be a problem, while I can’t see it with others. I often listen to talk radio when driving or riding to work. The items I usually find of the most interest are their announcements of the time and the weather. I rarely listen to music radio when driving or riding.
I think hearing I’m a minute ahead of schedule is not likely to cause me to run over a child.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I must say that I did almost run off the road on my ride to work when, the morning after two cyclists here were killed by a drunk, a local radio host inquired about how many cyclists had to die before cyclists were banned from the road. Fortunately, at that point in time, I did not carry a cell phone so we’ll never know if it would have affected my mindfulness.
Posted 17 Jan 2010 at 5:43 pm ¶Steve… It would be interesting to see what effect the radio has. It’s been such a part of driving for so long that it may simply be accepted as a normal part of the driving experience. I certainly like to crank up the tunes when I drive. Mmmmmm… Ramones. Road trip music.
PS: Glad to see your comment made it past the filter. Any idea on your end what triggers it?
Posted 17 Jan 2010 at 7:08 pm ¶Any comment I make from my iPhone is intercepted, and consigned to electronic Purgatory by the filter. Anything made from our “real” computer is accepted without question and instantly appears. If you’d like, I’ll feed your filter an iPhone comment at the time and on the post of your choosing. I’ll email a duplicate of the “offending” comment.
I do not know if the filter hates only MY iPhone comments, or if it has an anti-Apple agenda generally.
Posted 17 Jan 2010 at 8:09 pm ¶Steve… I find the idea that it has an “agenda” amusing
But also distressing because I’m thinking of doing the iPhone thing myself. So, yes, let’s experiment and get this thing figured out.
Posted 17 Jan 2010 at 9:47 pm ¶