In praise of unitasking

It’s an epidemic!

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Weaning an addict isn’t easy, and I’m addicted to information.

For a data junkie, the Internet is irresistible. It offers innumerable incoming streams, and with tools like Web browsers, RSS, Twitter and so on, I can soak them all up. The by-product, of course, is distraction. I flip from one to the other like a manic hummingbird, never satisfied. What else is going on, and how quickly can I find out about it?

It’s amazing how eagerly we invite distraction upon ourselves. Consider how frequently we do two (or more) things at once. While an app launches, I check Twitter. As a Web page loads, I Command-Tab over to Mail. All the while, iTunes plays music, and I’m thinking about what else must be done today.

I became keenly aware of how infrequently I focus on one single thing when I started using my iPad. For the most part (yes, you can play music in the background), it does one thing at a time. In fact, when I’m using an app on the iPad, it becomes that app.

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