Not long ago I came out in favor of multi-tasking.

A week later I attended a seminar in which Chris Perrow of Perrow Systems helped me begin to realize that perhaps I was shooting myself in the foot by multi-tasking.

Today Chris forwarded a copy of an article that recently appeared in the paper putting to rest the debate on whether or not multi-tasking is productive.

In the article, Multi-Tasking May Consume More of Your Time, Chris states:

"It's OK if it involves things that you do routinely in your life," said Chris Perrow, a professional organizer and president of Perrow Systems. "If you are making dinner, talking on the phone and wiping down the counter, it is multitasking at its best.

"When it becomes an issue is when it involves deeper cognitive thinking," she said. "That would be your reading and responding to e-mail, hearing and listening to voice mail and working on a project."

She offers up a good argument on why we should set aside specific time blocks for tasks that require creativity and cognitive thinking.

How disciplined are you?

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Professional Writer, Ex-Multi-Tasker
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