Nerd Attention Damage

engtech | September 7th, 2007 @ 1:05 pm

Have you read his book “Managing Humans” yet?

James | September 7th, 2007 @ 3:14 pm

Spend 10 minutes collecting everything you need to work on a problem, and unplug the internet for 2 hours. You’ll finish in 30 minutes.

My wife turned off our internet @ home and let me tell you, I ACTUALLY get more work done @ home than I do @ work.

I gather all I need @ work, slap it on a USB drive and bring it home to ZERO distractions.

Dave J. (Scoop0901) | September 7th, 2007 @ 5:04 pm

The point he was probably getting at is that most people cannot do more than one thing at a time, and do it well.

Many people, when “multi-tasking,” screw up so horribly it’s pathetic. Then again, most people are so distracted with email checking every ten-to-30 minutes (and wanting to read and reply to it as it comes it so “no one waits”), but they are also working on a project for the boss (something and someone else that “can’t wait), and trying to schedule a flight to that to the conference next month — but only after finding the best price possible.

I agree with the concept: If you want to accomplish a great deal of quality work faster, get away from your Internet-connected toys and you will find yourself more productive. Most people, anyway.

Teresa Valdez Klein | September 7th, 2007 @ 5:34 pm

Good lord this describes me accurately! How do I ever get anything done at all? BTW, I have no capacity for turning off the Internet.

BoltClock | September 7th, 2007 @ 10:25 pm

I’m not as nerdy as I think after all…

At least others say I know a lot, and I’m definitely socially awkward.

Chris Meller | September 7th, 2007 @ 11:05 pm

Unplug the internet for 2 hours? No! I won’t do it, and you can’t make me!

ShaolinTiger | September 8th, 2007 @ 6:31 am

We are all a lost cause…as we are reading this post, which proves the point

Paolo/Pixline | September 8th, 2007 @ 8:05 am

sometimes we all need an internet day-off. that’s why many geeks spend their nights online

Pete Quily | September 8th, 2007 @ 1:18 pm

Some of us have fast processing ADD brains that are capable of doing more that one thing at a time and doing them well. Others may have slower processing brains and one thing at a time is all they can manage.

Guess the problem happens when someone that doesn’t have ADD thinks they can keep up to the fast pace of an ADD mind and still be productive.

You might want to check out this blog post I wrote a while back called The Top 10 Advantages of ADD in a High Tech Career

http://adultaddstrengths.com/2006/02/09/top-10-advantages-of-add-in-a-high-tech-career/

For an alternate view.

Chewxy | September 8th, 2007 @ 5:18 pm

Hmm.. now that you mentioned it.. yea, I realized my productivity went up few weeks ago when my internet was down.

Mark Penix | September 9th, 2007 @ 4:56 am

Why is this world so set on self diagnosis. I think we need a second opinion here. Great now I forgot what I was doing!!!!

Rob Scott | September 9th, 2007 @ 6:32 am

I blame the Government - super fast broadband in remote areas wasn’t supposed to hinder us all…