Multi-tasking

How many things can the human brain process at once? Sometimes, you have to wonder. This morning my co-workers and I were participating in one of those interminable conference calls that litter the schedules of corporate America. There's a standard protocol; the meeting organizer tries to keep things on track, asking questions that are often met with awkward silences. The organizer then might call out someone's name, a la the Ben Stein character in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and the the person either fails to respond, or says, not necessarily sheepishly, "sorry, I was multi-tasking."

The amazing thing is, "I was multi-tasking" always seems to be an acceptable excuse for not paying attention. You immediately wonder why the meeting is even taking place if people aren't required to even follow along, let alone participate. You also wonder what on earth the "multi-tasker" was doing. Typically, "multi-tasking" is some combination of the following:

• Sending instant messages to other participants, commenting on how lame the meeting is
• Browsing websites
• Reviewing e-mail
• Getting actual work done

It's amazing, the wondrous tools that are typically available to the typical American office worker. My computer allows me to "multi-task" in all of the listed ways, plus others that I haven't mentioned. But sometimes I wonder if having the ability to do many things prevents us from accomplishing anything that really lasts, that really matters. But hey, at least I can follow the NCAA basketball tournament on one webpage today....