On multitasking, Georgian film, and as little ill as possible

2021, Week 5 Musings

Multitasking: As I’ve observed the characteristics my own state of working during these long quarantine days, it’s occurred to me that multitasking, often dismissed altogether as impossible, does exist — with certain qualifications. In particular, I think it’s relevant to first characterize different kinds of work by their cadences of attention; certain tasks, like reading, require complete, nonstop attention, while others, like certain data analysis procedures, only demand start-and-stop attention, like writing of code, followed by the running of long processes, followed by the inspection of results and tinkering of original code. In particular, the kind of work with the latter form provides a space for possible multitasking, which can look like simply multiple parallel processes of the same kind of work (like simultaneously tackling different parts of a coding problem), or can look like switching over to the more high-attention activities (like hacking away at your email inbox). So a more narrow form of multitasking involves building competence in the layering of different cadences of work. This of course does not imply ease; without a command of the different tempos and how they neatly overlap with clarity of mind (the musical term I’m reminded of here being a hemiola), the entire performance can fall into cacophony, your efforts rendered counterproductive. But I do believe that if the average task in your job affords this kind of negative space, you have the meaningful…