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The Myth of Multitasking: How "Doing It All" Gets Nothing Done | 
 enlarge | Author: Dave Crenshaw
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $10.37
You Save: $9.58 (48%)
New (41) Used (10) from $10.37
Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 23653
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 144
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0470372257
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.4093
EAN: 9780470372258
ASIN: 0470372257
Publication Date: August 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
In a compelling business fable, The Myth of Multitasking confronts a popular idea that has come to define our hectic, work-a-day world. This simple yet powerful book shows clearly why multitasking is, in fact, a lie that wastes time and costs money. Far from being efficient, multitasking actually damages productivity and relationships at work and at home.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 In a nutshell: No such thing November 20, 2008
Karen Tiede (Raleigh, NC)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Your brain does one thing at a time. Period. Doing more than one thing on the CPU is simply stopping and starting quickly. OK.
Suspect you already know this, or you wouldn't have been attracted to the title. So you're looking for validation. Useful additional words: switchtasking, and background tasking. Background tasking is talking to someone while you knit. (Debate exists as to which task is happening in the background.)
I picked up the book because I do a tremendous amount of what the author calls "background tasking" and I have some doubts about whether I should be focussing more/better/else. Not to worry. Perhaps the zen camp is right and I could try true single-point focus (I am washing the cup now...). Maybe. For today, I'll take the western-business-model and change my language: I'm background tasking, not multi-tasking.
I like the little spelling-and-numbering exercise.
I don't think I will change very much of anything as a result of reading the book, but what I really learned is a better word for what I already do an awful lot of.
 Bringing it back to the basics! November 10, 2008
Todd Thurston (Atlanta, GA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great book to bring things back to basics. I already knew that multi-tasking was not something that would really help me get more done and this book helped me realize why. Following this process and using the helpful worksheets brings focus back to your work and personal life. Easy to read and easy to understand why it is important to change.
 If you like fluff...read this book. November 10, 2008
Bastian Hughes (Somewhere, Utah)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
All I can say is what a snoozer. Yet another book to add to the dozens of cookie cutter, "you're-doing-everything-wrong-and-here's-how-to-fix-it" business, self-help, I know-something-you-don't books that come out every other week. Not to mention the cute little story to get the point across, what a novel approach. Honestly do we need yet another book like this? We'll give it a few months until "The Myth About Not Multitasking" comes out and tells us again, everything we are doing wrong and how "switchtasking" doesn't really exist. The author follows the "lot-a-fluff-and-little-meat" concept of his idol, Mr. Gerber. I just tire of people who get their ego stroked with a few inside accomplishments and then in the style of a certain president-elect proceed to write a book about their genius insights and concepts. No where can I find anything that would suggest the author possesses any unique or impressive credentials outside the E-Myth crowd. In fact, reading the other reviews would strongly suggest the authors' petition of friends, neighbors and relatives in writing reviews lauding the book as a precious nugget of wisdom. My final thought is this...I, myself, would be considered by society financially, academically and socially successful, I as well know many people who would also fall under this category...They and I have one thing in common, we did not gain our success as a result of reading self-help, business concept books as is the case with the majority of successful people.
 It works!!! October 27, 2008
happyearthmama (Utah, USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a fabulous book that everyone should read at least once. It takes an hour or two at the most.
It's written in story form (like "E-Myth" or "The One Minute Manager"). "Phil" is a business coach who is helping "Helen" regain control and organization in her business. He takes her through a series of exercises (included in the back of the book) to show how multitasking takes MORE time than focusing on one thing at a time, and that it damages productivity and-- worse--relationships. Then he gives her some exercises to help her out of her "multitasking".
The gist of the book is: there is no such thing as multitasking. Since our brain can only focus on one thing at a time, we either switch-task (switch our focus between two or more things rapidly) or background task (focus on one task while doing another that does not require focus--like talking on the phone while sweeping the floor). Background tasking is okay at appropriate times, but most of us fall prey to switch-tasking too often.
I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I still found this book very applicable. I sat down the same day I finished it and did some of the suggested exercises. I'm into my second week of living according to these ideas, and I can tell already that I get more done. Even better--I feel much more satisfied at the end of the day because I know all of my relationships have gotten the attention I intended for them to get.
Multi-tasking is a myth and this book does not add much October 26, 2008
Bas Vodde (Singapore)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
"The Myth of Multi-tasking" is another business novel. This time about multi-tasking. My first response to this book was excitement. Finally, a new book on the subject of multi-tasking. I bet it will state all latest research, describe experiments done, check on the brain activity to physically prove multi-tasking is a myth etc etc. I was disappointed. None of the above is included in this book (ok, some quotes taken out of research) and instead it's an average story about a consultant helping a CEO.
The book describes the story of Phil who is called in my Helen for some reason. He convinces her that multi-tasking is not efficient (as she seemed to believe) and teaches her different ways of organizing her work so that she does not need to "switchtask" and becomes more effective. Of course, she believes the consultant, changes all her habits and her company and a happy end.
The book is easy to read. It's also small, you can read it in about an hour!! There is not much more than the above story in the book and some quotes from different research (of which some are actually interesting). One thing that annoyed me is that the author decided to rename "multi-tasking" to "switchtasking". I kept wondering why he couldn't call it simple "task switching" which is the common term for this.
The book didn't bother me. I got a couple of useful research quotes out of it and one interesting game to "prove" multitasking is inefficient. The book is small and therefore it might be easy to read. Don't expect much though. 3 stars.
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