Friday, October 17, 2008

Music at Work

Studies show that it's pretty easy for us to keep music in the background when we focus on something else. Some agree with this statement while others strongly disagree.

In an article I read in the Star Ledger this past Sunday in the Job Finder section, "Tune in, Tune Out: The Emerging Etiquette of Earbuds and Music at Work" they mentioned a 2006 Harris Interactive Poll that found nearly 90% if workers age 18 to 39 say music improves their job satisfaction and productivity. About one third of employees were plugged into person music devices in 2006.

I believe that if plugging in a set of headphones and listening to music helps increase productivity, then go for it! Unfortunately, sometimes people sing out loud, have music loud enough others could here it, dance in their chair or do other actions that are distracting to others around them. So, if policy in your workplace allows music, be mindful of others around you and respectful of their needs to work in a non-distracting environment. A little bit of etiquette and common courtesy could make this a non-issue all the way around!

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Fighting the Impulse of Distractions

While researching about the impact of distractions on the younger generation, I also found this interesting thought....

You need to be able to control your impulses in order to stay better focused at work. Saying no to distractions depends, in part, on being able to control your impulses — something that's not fully developed in a teenager's brain, but is more developed as you mature.

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Teens Multitasking

For years, scientists have said that multitasking is ineffective yet many in today's workforce continue to use it as a technique for managing their burgeoning workloads. In the latest reports, the effects on teens are noted. Although their propensity for doing multiple tasks at any one time drives most parents and adults crazy, for them, this is a way of life!

I remember a friend of mine boasting to me how his daughter can sit at the computer researching for a paper or doing her homework while at the same time having multiple windows open, the music on, and talking on the phone. She would be doing her Calculus homework, texting about German, and making plans to hang out, while searching the Internet for her latest research project. She was carrying a full load of Advanced Placement classes, participating in girls basketball and active in her church youth group. If she wasn't maintaining high honors, I would definitely question the effectiveness of her approach. A daughter of a scientist and an engineer either her intelligence was found in her genes or perhaps her unique approach to getting it all done and keeping it all together.

Personally, as a baby boomer, I shudder at the speed that teens are able to tackle tasks and also worried about the possible long-term side effects that have not yet been addressed in scientific or behavioral research.

According to the latest research, although doing several things simultaneously may feel productive, rapidly switching between tasks may actually slow you down as your brain loses connection to important information and significant time is lost re-focusing and getting back on-task. With multitasking it is almost impossible to gain a depth of knowledge of any of the simultaneous tasks. Yet today's teens have tremendous skills to be able to be doing multiple things at the same time!

An ever-increasing number of teens are finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on just one task at a time. Although there's not much data yet on teens, David Meyer at the University of Michigan has spent the past few decades studying multitasking — mostly in adults. He says,
"For tasks that are at all complicated, no matter how good you have become at multitasking, you're still going to suffer hits against your performance. You will be worse compared to if you were actually concentrating from start to finish on the task,". When you are interrupted, re-establishing focus may take seconds, minutes or even hours.

Yet, with teens who have pretty much grown up on technology and multitasking, Meyer and others believe that these youngsters are developing coping skills unlike what older generations have developed and may therefore be more equipped to perform better in future work environments where they are required to accomplish a lot. They have grown up always doing multiple things, so they are naturally more skilled at it than previous generations.

While multitasking gives a sense of doing more and being more efficient, research suggests that the performance results are higher when fully focusing on just one activity. There's not much research on the addictive nature of multitasking yet or the possible long-term negative effects on the developing brain. Researchers are not sure what the long-term impact might be because studies have not yet probed this area. While some fear that the penchant for flitting from task-to-task could have serious consequences on young people's ability to focus and develop analytical skills, others are more optimistic.

For teens, multitasking is really all they know; they are conditioned to do it based on the availability of technology tools, gadgets, and the ease of their use. Who knows, maybe this generation will be able to teach us a thing or two about more effectively multitasking while being productive??

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Pets and Distractions

If you are a pet owner, you may understand another area of potential distraction that I personally discovered today. After I dropped my dog at the vet this morning for surgery to repair his torn ACL, I returned to my office and found it very difficult to focus on my work. I was on edge each and every time the phone rang because I was concerned that something might go wrong. Working from home, I also missed his company.

As I started researching this notion further, the first article I came across, "Four-Legged Distractions" , written by Lisa Belkin for the NY Times on March 28, 2001, acknowledged this problem. Lisa is a contributing writer and columnist with the NY Times since 1995, an author and radio talk show host who works from a home-based office. She shared the difficulty of working from home with her new puppy, Riley, frequently seeking her attention and affection. As an expert in balancing life, she recognizes the challenge of work vs. pet ownership.

Pets are an important part of the lives of many people. In fact, many pet owners report feeling guilty about leaving their animals at home when they go to work. In a study conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association, 75 percent of pet owners reported feeling guilty and 38 percent admitted to calling home to talk to their animals. Being a pet owner has added so much to my life including exercise, a loyal companion, and more! Now, as my dog "Nibbles" begins his aging process, I'll undoubtedly experience many more distractions as he has more frequent health issues.

If you're a pet owner, how do you handle the distractions?

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