Continuous Partial Attention

Linda Stone has been talking about "continuous partial attention" for years. Here's an article by her from 2008.

Stone says there's a difference between multi-tasking and continuous partial attention. Multi-tasking is when we do one low-brow activity and a high-brow activity at the same time, like eating lunch while reading the paper.

That's different, she says, from doing two or more tasks that require a high level of mental engagement at the same time. Talking on the phone, skimming an email and trying to write a report at the same time. This requires rapid, repeated focus on each item for a short time. This Stone calls continuous partial attention.

The opposite of continuous partial attention is focus. Shutting everything else out and concentrating on one item of work, or anything else, for a sustained period of time.

There's no question in my mind that the latter beats out the former in terms of productivity. We all know that interruptions can make a short task that requires concentration take far longer than it should.

So: raise productivity by reducing interruptions. Time for tasks should be scheduled and sacrosanct. Switch off your email and your phone for the duration of the task and make sure staff and colleagues understand there are borders which can't be crossed.

Stone makes it clear she thinks continuous partial attention is a good thing, but like all good things, should be used in moderation. Sounds good to me.

Links:
- Linda Stone at lindastone.net
- Word Spy Continuous Partial Attention
- Tom Friedman Cyber-Serfdom (NYT 2001 - Word Spy's first sighting.)