Multitasking: a girl thing, or an INTP thing?

[Yellow]

I multitask. I cannot possibly think about only one thing at any given time. I am often scatterbrained, because I cannot leave my own little world long enough to fully focus on the real world for any significant amount of time. It's like my thoughts are pulling me in a million directions at once. In order to get anything done at all, I must be doing several things at once. In order to write my essays, I have to have soemthing loud to pay attention to (usually music) and something else to write or think about (thank you INTP forum), and the same goes for any other tasks I have for the day.

My point is, I have always heard that women think about multiple things at once, and men are able to, and must focus on one thing at a time. I am wondering if it is really a man/woman difference or a male/female personality difference.

Either way, I am very interested, so please share.

 

[Jennywocky]

Well, it's kind of hard to tease out sources here, because there are so many potential roots of this.

Frankly, women HAVE to multitask (at least in western culture, I have no experience in other cultures -- although automatically springs to my mind is the chapter in the Bible in Proverbs about what a "good woman/wife" is and how this entire list would demand hellacious amounts of multitasking).

A man goes to work and focuses on a particular job, then comes home; meanwhile, if the woman is staying home as "mom," she has to manage children, she has to do household chores, she has to contact various people. She needs to maximize her time, and often the changing needs of children overrides her other activities... she can't even really find time for one minute alone in the bathroom.

Some women can do organize their day in their heads.
Some women need to take 30 minutes the night before and plan elaborate lists.

She's also juggling many different relationships and often wearing different hats. I think men have learned to wear more hats but never so many simultaneously.

I don't know if this is an inborn woman thing, though. I think P's are more naturally multitaskers than J, and this might be more pronounced than the M/F divide. Same thing with N's (big picture) versus S's, although not like J/P.

 

[Ashenstar]

I personally multitask like a fiend and enjoy it. I can't just watch a movie or watch a show. I have to browse the internet on my laptop while also watching something all while I am eating and whatever else. I get bored if I don't. My job also requires heavy multitasking. My brain sometimes gives out...but I have ways to recharge. *points to inlets near base of skull*

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Uni-task by choice, multi-task when required.

Didn't know which one to pick in the poll.

 

[Agent Intellect]

What is meant by multitasking? I don't have multiple parallel streams of conscious thought, and I only have two eyes and two arms.

But I would certainly say that I am scatter brained something terrible, though, and my attention span can be all over the place. I can never just sit and read for hours, after I read for like 45 minutes I have to do something else for a bit before reading again (except Wikipedia, that's like the ADD minds wet dream). I listen to music while doing pretty much anything. While reading, or watching TV/movies, my mind will shoot off on tangents about fifty other things, and then I have to snap back to reality and try to figure out what's going on in the book or show.

I am constantly thinking about what all I have to do, or how I might improve upon real life, or coming up with theories/stories/characters, and putting it all into some logical order in my mind, so much that I might go somewhere and forget how I'd even gotten there. But, if I come upon a problem that I find very interesting and challenging, I can sometimes focus on it so much that I completely block everything out - I have honestly lost what feels like large chunks of my life doing this.

On top of all that, when I write a post here, I usually spend more time cleaning it up, revising, and editing then actually writing it because it's so random and incoherent that I often wonder if anyone ever even knows what the hell I'm talking about (and then I usually find a bunch of other shit to fix once I hit submit that I have to edit it 3 or 4 times).

 

[Claverhouse]

It's usually a chick thing; and also a pretty bad thing.


Napoleon could multitask like no-one else, but I'm pretty sure he concentrated when directing a battle. At least, the ones he won.




Claverhouse

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Hmmm, that's a matter of perspective Claverhouse.

For me it depends on what I'm doing. If I find the main task at hand interesting, then I focus completely upon it and very nearly block everything else out(noise, hunger, time, etc). With dull or unimportant things I multitask like mad. I hate being forced to juggle multiple interesting tasks though.

 

[SEPKA]

I'm not sure if keep jumping between topic in the head in short interval count as multi-task or not, but I did that a lot, unless the topic I was thinking is really fun to hold me. As for manual task, with only 2 hand (and only 1 dominant hand), 2 legs (that are not trained to do much beside walking), and the fact that the computer are generally placed far away from cook room, sleeping room and storage room, it is hard to multi-task. I do eat and drink while I was doing project on computer though, since it is more convenient.

However, I think certain time you multi-task for the sake of getting in random data, to fuel your creativity, stimulate your brain for work that need it. Also, woman might be more prone to multi-task because (I read somewhere) they have more connection between 2 side of the brain, so they are more likely to link different topic together.

 

[aracaris]

I'll just admit I'm terrible at multitasking (and yes I'm female). I was listening to an interview with a scientist about studies on multitasking (sorry but can't remember name) and they found that the human brain is very ill equiped for multitasking, in fact what it has to do is quickly switch from one task to the next rather than truly do more than one task at a time. It also was found that people whom think they are really good at multitasking are actually quite bad at it in reality. In fact many of the people whom were convinced they were pros at multitasking were among the worst at it.

There were certain circumstances where "multitasking" could be beneficial and even necessary, but generally this was found to not be the case. Where it was beneficial (even necessary) are circumstances that people don't even really generally even think of as multitasking, such as when you are drawing and you have to go back and forth between studying your subject and actually drawing it out.

In other words if everything you are doing is just a step in accomplishing the same goal ( you are going through an algorithm. ) quickly switching back and forth between one and the other may be of benefit, or a necessity. But what most people think of as multitasking, is really not.

Another way of putting this:

If you are doing clearly distinct things:
"oh I'm talking on my cell phone, and typing up this report" then you are doing what most people think of as multitasking and our brains are poorly designed for.

If you are doing something which you (or at least most people) think of as one singular thing, but actually can be broken down into several different parts (again drawing, you think of it as drawing, but it can actually be broken down into several different things) then that's another story.

 

[Ombat]

I'm like you, AI.

]But I would certainly say that I am scatter brained something terrible, though, and my attention span can be all over the place. I can never just sit and read for hours, after I read for like 45 minutes I have to do something else for a bit before reading again

Although I think there's a large difference between not being able to concentrate on one thing at a time and being able to multitask. I'd think a good multitasker would have to be able to concentrate on many different things at one time. I also feel like I have to listen to music in order to not lose concentration on my homework, but I can't concentrate on both at the same time. I usually have to turn my music off because of it.

 

[Ashenstar]

Aracaris is completely correct. I read that study from ...I don't even remember where....but human brains just don't work like that. I think, if I am to comprehend what I've read properly, computers don't truly multitask either, let alone pitiful human brains. lol. Also, I think there was something about 4 being the limit of tasks that person could focus on at a time...or something of that nature.

I still love to multitask....if you wish to call it that.

 

[Tunesimah]

I'm horrible at multitasking. I'm a guy, and INTP. I can pinpoint my inability to multitask to my relatively poor working memory. Multitasking seems to be the ability to switch to task to task very quickly while keeping all the necessary information in memory.

When I need to switch tasks I can feel my brain grind to a halt. I have to refocus, slowly pick up all the information I need, develop that into a framework, then finally start the task. To me this can take upwards of a full minute depending on the task, for others who claim to multitask it seems like this can happen in mere seconds... if not instantly.

This happens often In a day, if someone asks me a question without any preparation on my part... I just can't shift my focus that quickly.

For me even the act of standing can be distracting to me, when I am really concentrating on a task.

When I get fully running though, fully invested in a task and my mind working full steam I'm quite satisfied with what I've thought up.

I even enjoy single-tasking, to enjoy all possible details of what I'm doing of things that are often multi-tasked. Like music, I enjoy just sitting with my eyes closed and fully enjoying the music. Or just staring at a work of art, or looking into someone's face as they are speaking and fully picking up on all the nuances of their speech and face movements.

Nope, no multitasking for me. Although I do like efficiency, so I will often find the best way to do a single task, or ways I can get machines/others to do more tasks for me.

 

[Adymus]

but I have ways to recharge. *points to inlets near base of skull*

Cocaine?

 

[Ashenstar]

Cocaine?

Huh? What? Adymusyousaysomething? * looks up and rubs the tip of her nose a few times*

 

[echoplex]

I'm a dude. I multitask. I don't prefer to, but I do. It's sometimes fun to see just how well I can multitask, but if it's important to me to do something well, I tend to avoid distractions and focus on one thing at a time.

On average, it seems that females are more adept at it, although I think personality affects this too. It would seem that P types (Ne/Se) would have a slight preference towards multitasking, or in the case of INTPs, multi-thinking, where various threads of thought can be well-handed all at once. J-types, when seeking closure, might be more likely to prefer focusing on the one thing most at stake, only resorting to multitasking in panic situations (like when multiple things are due at once). The P tendency to finish things at the last minute would seem to support some degree of comfort with multitasking.

I've noticed one thing though: I hate multitasking pleasureable things, like music for instance. I prefer to listen to music with headphones while doing nothing else. The idea of listening while doing work or reading intently seems less fun.

 

[Waterstiller]

I focus intensely on one thing. But I multitask in order to do that one thing. If that makes any sense at all.

... and I have boobs fwiw.

 

[Yellow]

I really love that this is producing such mixed results. I just hate it when genders are pigeon-holed and I was hoping you guys would be the right people to ask about this kind of thing, thank you!

...and curse you INTPs and your pretty dandilion gods* for your need for precise definitions! I suppose technically we can't do several things literally at once (though I can sing along with music while reading or writing without losing my train of thought [as an example], and I refuse to believe I'm alone in this).. I suppose multitasking is just the best word we have for the phenomenon of having several things going at once without any confusions, conflicts, or serious distractions (and I'm sure even that can be argued as well, but you know what I mean).

*the pretty dandilion gods (PDGs) are the gods of the INTPs.. I'd explain how this came to be, but I fear I have shared too much about them already.

 

[Ermine]

It depends what you mean by multitasking. I can multitask in that I often have short bursts of concentration in any given task. Then I move on to something else and give that a short burst of concentration. I usually have several things going on at once.

But I'm horrible at actually doing more than one thing at once.

 

[Aiss]

I voted chick & multitask when I first saw this thread, but reading the replies posted since I wonder if it was the right answer. What I meant was more like "can't stop thinking about many completely different things (often in the background) most of the time" - unless I concentrate on one specific task (ie. an exam...) and forget about everything else. So I guess I don't multitask much after all, just in my mind. If doing several things physically at the same time is what counts, imagine there's one vote less for "I multitask" and one more for "I don't multitask". I can't decide where I belong, really. I sometimes interleave my replies to people if they annoy me by talking to me simultaneously.

 

[Waterstiller]

The idea of multitasking seems contingent on how specific you want to be in distinguishing separate tasks. And it seems relative to the overall goal.

At what point is someone 'multitasking'? Also, are there levels of multitasking? Have you found that there's a wu wei factor involved in how easily you can juggle tasks?

In the case of IM conversations.. how many deep simultaneous conversations can you have as opposed to surface conversations without being irritated?

 

[Tyria]

Multitask mostly. While I can focus on one thing with great intensity, I have learned that I get more done with multitasking.

 

[saffyangelis]

I can't stop myself multitasking half the time.. I'll be doing one thing, then my mind'll wander, and before I know it, I've ended up doodling while watching a film, chatting on irc and reading a book (and yet, I never have time for homework.. wonder why =P)

This means I do end up writing half a post, then wandering off, forgetting about it, and coming back later, reading it, and thinking "What was I on about?" So I end up just closing the tab so I don't sit there trying to remember what I was thinking about for a while (which is, oddly enough, the only time I can concentrate - when I'm thinking about something vaguely focusedly.. It's only when I'm trying to /do/ something I get distracted...

I can't hold that many conversations at once though, but if they're slow enough for me to be able to have a bit of time to switch in my mind from conversation to conversation, it's a lot easier for me. I do end up not doing as well on anything though if I was multitasking while doing it.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

At what point is someone 'multitasking'? Also, are there levels of multitasking? Have you found that there's a wu wei factor involved in how easily you can juggle tasks?

The english translation for "wu wei" is "The Pooh Way". Yes, like Winnie the Pooh Bear. http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Pooh-Benjamin-Hoff/dp/0140067477

 

[Trebuchet]

When I multitask, I do a bad job at each task. That doesn't mean I don't do it. I fold laundry while helping my daughter with piano practice, or listen to TV while cooking, but this only works under certain strict conditions:

1) neither task is of critical importance. A failure is acceptable.

and

2) one task has clear priority over the other. Task two can stop instantly when there is an interruption by task one.

I admit I do chat with passengers in my car or listen to music while driving, but this is not really a good idea. I never, ever talk on a cell phone while driving, and I don't mess with the music while driving, either.

 

[dents]

I freaking hate multitasking because I suck at it. When trying to do a bunch of things at once, nothing ever gets done. It's much better for me to focus on one thing at a time and get it done. Always assumed it's because I am a guy, seems to be the correct assumption so far.

 

[Loki]

I can juggle a multitude of incomplete projects and failures in my mind while I'm shaving. Ya know, Mind Juggling is just one of the many INTP Superpowers.