Type and Multitasking

Adymus said:
Generally speaking P's a better at multitasking than J's are.

Personally I end up multitasking unintentionally, I'll start by doing one thing, and then something else will randomly come up and take my interest, so now I am doing two things at once. And it just grows from there.
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Yeah, I get into a tree structure. I need to do X but in the course of doing X I realize that Y needs doing, in the course of doing Y, I realize I need to do A, B, C. Once I finish the bottom of the tree, I work back up the tree until everything is done. That's only if I'm totally focused though.
 
Bumping this, because I become increasingly interested in MBTI/multitasking... I'd like to hear more theories people have about how different types are doing.

Here's a game to try out: http://www.kongregate.com/games/IcyLime/multitask

I tried to visualize how the dominant functions (roughly) operate, with something like this:
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In other words, I'd say N and S are just too focused for multitasking. Yes, N is focused on the big picture but still it doesn't seem that N by itself is well suited to execute and maintain all the tasks. It's rather best at synthesizing and aggregating all this information. I'm not sure. I'm interested to see more comments. My guess so far is that T and F are better dealing with multitasking (for different reasons). They seem to form more structural patterns, following the drive of judgment.
 
I would assume that I and J negatively impact multitasking ability, while E and P give an advantage at it. It still depends on the individual, but I think there might be a loose correlation.
 
I think the argument that P are better at multitasking than J has some truth to it. I totally suck at multitasking. I have to do one single thing, finish it, and then, only then, will I go on to another project.

I wonder how INTJs handle this. They have Te and are said to be good in contingency planning. Shouldn't that enable them to be good at multitasking?
 
whytiger said:
Yeah, I get into a tree structure. I need to do X but in the course of doing X I realize that Y needs doing, in the course of doing Y, I realize I need to do A, B, C. Once I finish the bottom of the tree, I work back up the tree until everything is done. That's only if I'm totally focused though.
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+1
 
I suck ballz at it

Although I can "keep track" of a lot of things going on at once, like food cooking, stuff going on around me, stuff I'm working on at the same time, as long as they're simple things. I'm not good at talking or articulating thoughts on an unrelated subject while doing this stuff though. For example, I can't talk and text someone at the same time.
 
Multitasking does not actually involve maintaining focus on many things at once (that is what studies seem to show no one can do) but rather being able to quickly shift one's focus back and forth well enough to handle multiple tasks. The brain's auditory and visual stores allow us to go back and consciously hear or see things a short time after we have subconsciously percieved them (the auditory store is much longer), so it is rarely a problem for our minds to leave one subject for a second or two and then pick it up again after handling something else.
 
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magister343 said:
Multitasking does not actually involve maintaining focus on many things at once but rather being able to quickly shift one's focus back and forth well enough to handle multiple tasks.
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I read that and thought: "That is such an INTP reply". Reminded me of "CPU time" which I think is modelled similarly. Because I think in everyday language "shifting focus back and forth" is simply taken as multitasking.
 
Ah but it sounds so much better when [MENTION=2648]magister343[/MENTION] says it [MENTION=4864]swing[/MENTION] . I give him 427 Kewl points for always having the INTP answer to each question.

Multitask? If something has my interest and I am focused, not much breaks my concentration. I have the ability to tune everything and everyone out. If I am in a mood to get lots of things accomplished, I can flit between many different tasks at once--I generally will have determined a plan of action beforehand. My sense of urgency is well defined and I will be just as focused as if I am engrossed in one thing. I don't think I multitask though. I focus and get stuff accomplished. It isn't that my mind is wandering between various things at once. I think it can be confused with multitasking because accomplishing tasks doesn't take me very long when I am focused. I would think that there would be no rhyme or reason to my actions if you were observing me, but I generally have things well planned out. Like all things, if I want to do something, I'll do it. If I don't, good luck with getting me to accomplish what you want.
 
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