Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

Here’s a Scary Fact

Photo: PicApp

While reading Find your Strongest Life last week, I came across a frightening fact. Author Marcus Buckingham says,

“When we multitask, we’re dumber. How much dumber? A recent study for Hewlett Packard exploring the impact of multitasking on performance revealed that the average worker’s functioning IQ drops ten points when multitasking, more than double the four-point drop that occurs when someone smokes marijuana. (The analogy the researchers used is that a ten-point drop in IQ is equivalent to missing one night’s sleep.”

Now that’s a scary thought. When is the last time I didn’t multitask? Isn’t that the definition of a GenSandwicher? I type while on hold. I talk to Mom while cleaning off my desk. I write my blog while watching TV. I click onto email and Facebook far too often when I should be writing or studying. I wonder how smart I’d be if I could focus? And I wonder if there is an age-adjustment? Does my IQ drop even more because I’m over 60? Hmmm. Scary.

Labels: aging, Baby Boomers, multitasking