Time Management
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Multi-Tasking Millennials
November 28, 2007
Among the attributes that Millennials are bringing to the workplace is their phenomenal ability to multi-task. Today’s newest hires have grown up in a world in which they have consistently managed multiple projects at any one time. They are comfortable researching a project, listening to their iPod and e-mailing their friends all at the same time.
Research suggests that Boomer bosses may wish to coach Millennials to slow down and give singular focus to important projects. In an experiment undertaken at UCLA, scientists asked students to sort through a stack of index cards. One time they sorted cards in silence, with no distractions. The second time, the students sorted cards while listening to a series of high and low beeps, keeping track of the high beeps.
It turns out that the students were able to sort the cards equally well both times. When they had to listen to the beeps, however, they did a much poorer job of recalling what they had sorted.
Whenever they undertake an important task, especially one that requires extreme levels of concentration, Boomer bosses may wish to encourage their Millennial employees to focus solely on that task. Millennials may instead use their iPods to help them speed through those work-related tasks that require less concentration, such as cleaning out their e-mail in-boxes, reviewing snail mail or straightening files.
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