Multitasking & The Presidency

Barack Obama, responding to McCain’s request to delay the debate, recently commented, “I think that it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.” This comment could give us surprising insight into each man’s projected effectiveness as president.

Our use of the word “multi-task” actually has two distinct meanings.  The first is truly doing two things at the same time, neither of which requires too much attention.  For example, you may sometimes drive and talk on the phone simultaneously.  However, if the road conditions get difficult, or the conversation gets intense, most people find themselves abandoning one task in order to focus their attention on the other.  Also, we more commonly use “multi-task” to describe the behavior of switching back and forth rapidly between two tasks.

Studies have shown that either version of multi-tasking both increases the amount of time it takes to do a task, and also decreases the quality with which that task is done.  But while multi-tasking may not be the most effective behavior, many people would probably agree with Senator Obama’s assertion that the President of the United States will likely need to “deal with more than one thing at once” frequently.

A study published by the American Psychological Association concluded that the ability to switch between tasks, which they term, “mental flexibility” generally peaks in the 20s and then decreases with age.  The extent to which it decreases depends upon the type of tasks being performed.  However, the findings of this study indicate that mental flexibility decreases an average of 30.9% from a person in their 40s to a person in their 70s.

This could explain John McCain’s admitted “computer illiteracy.”  Fluent use of a computer requires the ability to rapidly switch focus between the task the computer is needed for (sending an email, for example) and the task of operating the computer.  Those who are not well-versed in computer use would find these tasks taxing.

A U.S. President will of course have a fleet of staff to help keep them on track and execute computer tasks for them.  And I’m sure there will be people who will call me an “ageist” for pointing out this study.  However, there are some facts about aging, and the demands of a President, that are important to consider this election cycle.

Maura Thomas
Productivity Trainer
RegainYourTime.com