Can you multitask?

[Theta.G]

Years ago.... Many years ago, in a far off time. Someone said that nobody ever truly multi-tasks, that it was impossible. That we just do tasks at a very fast rate. So, set out to destroy that BS.
Programmed my muscle memory to write out a certain paragraph on paper while my other hand would focus on keyboard typing, processing thoughts or taking notes. The results were a success. I could write out the legible paragraph with one hand while the other typed out information, at the same time on a different topic. At first, some words would cross over. Conscious attention would shift. But with enough practice you can do anything.

The secret for physical multi tasking lies in muscle memory. Any master of their craft can do this.

If one is speaking of conscious attention that too can be compartmentalized and focused upon multiples. As long as the activities don't exceed the capacity of information held within the conscious mind at once. There are other circumstances in which one can achieve this if they so truly desired but i edited it out :x

 

[Marcus]

@Progster You obviously have no idea of the connection that I have to my music, I am immersing myself in every single word, the insane guitars and double bass drumming courses through my veins, and I am in a state of absolute contentment.

 

[OkRad]

This is curious. I know some autistic people who are extremely aware of all around them. HOwever, they do tend to be non verbal. When I am non verbal, I can ceratinly focus other senses better.

I think the task of speaking causes a lot of us intense distress. When I know I have to speak or be spoken to, it does effect my other senses. Personaly, if I did not have to speak, my other senses would be much more understandable.

My senses are always excessively acute to the point of pain. However, they m ake no sense when I have to chatter away. It's just pain. When I do not talk, I can understand them.......how to avoid them , how to interpret them.

Does that make sense??

 

[Suzanne]

I cannot multitask, but not in the way you describe, although there is a question mark on that. I am pretty sure I can listen and think at the same time; nope, it is definite.

If I am talking, I cannot do something active or visa versa.

 

[Progster]

This is curious. I know some autistic people who are extremely aware of all around them. HOwever, they do tend to be non verbal. When I am non verbal, I can ceratinly focus other senses better.

I think the task of speaking causes a lot of us intense distress. When I know I have to speak or be spoken to, it does effect my other senses. Personaly, if I did not have to speak, my other senses would be much more understandable.

My senses are always excessively acute to the point of pain. However, they m ake no sense when I have to chatter away. It's just pain. When I do not talk, I can understand them.......how to avoid them , how to interpret them.

Does that make sense??

It does make sense, I do have sharp senses and speaking is not easy for me, it takes a lot of effort. If I'm focused externally, I am aware of a lot going on in the background and if I'm internally focused, then I shut down my other senses, so I can be concentrating on something and someone will speak to me and I won't hear them.

 

[tducey]

Not really, usually it's just 1 task that I can do especially at work.

 

[Crossbreed]

I thought of another example:
I dabble in playing piano (by ear) and a cabasa. I find it very difficult to sing while playing them.

 

[Nervous Rex]

The worst way I fail to multitask is in my larger projects. After my job and duties as a husband, father, homeowner, etc., i get a little free time. With that free time I might be reading a book, studying something I want to learn, trying to get into shape, doing a programming project or some house project.

But as hard as I try, I can't make myself care about more than one of those things at a time. If I am focused on getting in shape, I will exercise regularly, but I will completely drop any other projects. If I am working on a programming project, I won't exercise.

There is time in my schedule to do both. I always think that I could dedicate so much time for exercise and so much time for my personal projects, and work on both at the same time, but I never actually manage to make it work.

It's a constant source of frustration for me to focus exclusively on one thing and drop the ball on everything else. One of these days, I need to learn how to do this.

 

[Blue]

I take care of my mom who has fibromyalgia. She gets symptoms called fibro fog that impair her cognitive abilities. So I multitask frequently by keeping track of her agenda items as well as mine. We play board games and I'll keep track of who's turn it is, what 'phase' we're on in more complex games like Puerto Rico, etc.
At home I listen to youtube while drawing or typing as I am now.

 

[Lia]

For me it's a skill I had to learn. For a long time I couldn't even listen to music while drawing, but after listening to podcasts for years I can now listen to entire audiobooks while I draw and be focused on the story as well as the work I'm doing.
I still can't hold a conversation while doing something else though.

 

[Gracey]

Something else I was thinking of.

My brief attendances at a community choir.

Baritone, tenor, Alto and soprano groups all learning and practicing a new piece together.

(Singing together with others releases oxytocin into the system. It's socialising without actually socialising)

Back to my point.

I was quite nervous and hyper-vigilant.
I could hear every bum note, warble, chaotic Mish mash of all four groups trying their best to sing together and I couldn't sing a note.
My ears were trying to cope with the chaotic assault, my brain was trying to understand what was happening, my eyes were trying to find the exits and my mouth wouldn't work.

I can't sing and listen to others at the same time.

 

[Ishayel]

Hello,
only some tasks can be done by me with anothers tasks, depending on how much i have done it before. After optimizing the task, i can do it with low ressources and do another things.
Things I can do with anothers things : play mmo's ( i can even play a whole team solo in some like the tank, the dd and the healer ), watch films/documentaries, speak on chats or write on chats, listen music, etc
I can even write music and listen another music at the same time and speak with another person.
But there is some things i can't do with anothers things lol, like speak with my mother because she makes me crazy >.>, do complicated and precise manual works ( like work woods, paint little pieces , etc )

 

[Misery]

Hm, this topic has gotten quite interesting at this point.

I genuinely have trouble quite comprehending the limitations described in many of these posts. They're all the reverse of what I experience. I dont know what it's like to have a sense "shut down" or something, for instance. Or to be literally unable to process one particular concept/idea/thought/something because another somehow overrides it.

Or to be able to properly single-task, the thing I've never been able to do. Which I'm guessing must be of great use in employment and education. Among other things.

It's interesting to see all the differences between everyone here.

 

[Progster]

Hm, this topic has gotten quite interesting at this point.

I genuinely have trouble quite comprehending the limitations described in many of these posts. They're all the reverse of what I experience. I dont know what it's like to have a sense "shut down" or something, for instance. Or to be literally unable to process one particular concept/idea/thought/something because another somehow overrides it.

Or to be able to properly single-task, the thing I've never been able to do. Which I'm guessing must be of great use in employment and education. Among other things.

It's interesting to see all the differences between everyone here.

The responses have indeed been interesting so far.

Do you have ADHD by any chance? I've heard that people with ADHD need extra stimulation to be able to stay on task. Also, the daughter of the mother who said that her daughter can do two things at once also has some ADHD traits, as does her father, though neither are diagnosed as far as I know (people tend not to get diagnosed where I live, people tend to just live with whatever condition they have iwthout official diagnosis unless it is very serious).

 

[Ragnahawk]

I don't multitask when I talk on the phone while walking. I am just talking on the phone the rest is just autopilot. Everything else I get to focused on what is most important and lose track of everything else.

 

[Judge]

My type of multitasking in the recent past usually included listening to financial news on television while monitoring online around four different stocks and their fluctuating prices at the same time, along with reading market news and even paying attention to thread in this website. I was fine, as long as I didn't attempt to engage in any two-way real-time conversations.

What do I consider to be the most arduous examples of multitasking?

That's easy. Driving an automobile. Regardless of traffic considerations. Where you always have to be alert and aware of what is going around you ...like in a 360 degree radius.

Where if you make a mistake, it could be quite costly in a variety of ways.

Do I talk to passengers while I drive? A bit, though between you and me, I know I shouldn't for the most obvious reason.

 

[Progster]

Yesterday, the mother of one of my students, who is only six years old and spends some time during the lesson colouring, said "You can talk to her when she is colouring. She can still hear you while she is colouring."

If I'm concentrating on colouring something, then I can't listen to a person, I'd need to stop colouring to listen.

But I don't talk to her while she is still colouring for another reason, that I have nothing to say, and I can't just keep talking like that, without purpose, I don't know what to say to her while she is drawing. My default is to remain silent until I have something to communicate.

 

[Cinco]

I can't seem to.
I can't listen to music or talk to people while doing other stuff, and I can't even use both my hands to do different things like play the piano or the guitar. It really annoys me