In 1997, Linda Stone coined the phrase continuous partial attention(via Nat Torkington of O’Reilly). It’s a popular topic for bloggers, it seems.
Clearly from that image above (click for larger), I am the poster child for multithreaded attention-floating task completion. This is in direct competition with how David Allen would recommend one does things in his book, Getting Things Done. Here’s my thoughts.
Lots of Threads
I seem to work in a mindset where my thoughts wander quickly, but then into a certain depth between things I’m working on. I have a constant hum somewhere saying, “Here’s what I’ve gotta remember to do.” That goes into a text file or my personal analog device (pad). However, there are lots of things I do in spurts that work well together.
Contexts
I wrote about context clusters as a GTD hack once before, and I think the thing is, this is what I use most from GTD. I use the idea of writing down things I need to accomplish, and I write out the proper contexts for doing them. Then, when I’m in the right context, I attempt to execute against as much of it as I can, and in a kind of whirlwind way.
I think Allen would’ve rather I do a project from start to stop (until the next action) before starting the next. Instead, my brain seems to work well with a float about it. I float between tasks, hit a mark, and move on.
Project-Based
I’m still focusing on things as if they’re a project, a-la GTD, but instead of eating my peas, then my corn, then my carrots, I just eat the mix. (Didn’t that make you think of that horrible canned vegetable side dish?) There’s nothing wrong with my method, from what I can tell. I seem to get plenty done. I haven’t properly benchmarked the two models, because I can’t seem to sit still for the model.
Outside the Screen
I should mention that layered on top of the screen capture I shared with you, I’ve also got an iPod with one ear piece in, a cell phone buzzing, and my boss yelling out random things from the other room. I’ve got people dropping by, sometimes to talk about work and ask me technology questions that require whiteboard explanations, or to share with me their passions about _____.
What to Do
I don’t necessarily think I have to change. I work well in this method. At home, I’ve learned that I do my best artwork while listening to a podcast or having a DVD playing off in a corner of the screen, and even sometimes the occasional IM conversation going in yet another window. I’m thinking the only exception to this is when I’m writing heavy text-based information. I’ve found that I can’t write a thought-out post like this while doing many things at once. Actually, text-intense efforts is the only time when I can’t multithread *as* much as normal. Hmmm.
What’s your experience?
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tags: lindastone,attention,attentiontrust,gtd,productivity