While browsing a forgotten bookshelf I found myself leafing through an old volume called “The scientist in action – a scientific study of his methods”, by one William H. George, a Physics professor from Sheffield. This book had been published in 1938 by Emerson Books, NY.

And as I flipped the pages I happened to notice the following statement:

It is one of the properties of man that if he tries to give attention to many things at once he becomes confused. Confusion of thought is a hindrance to scientific research…

I have no idea who Mr. George was, but he certainly has a point here. Trying to multitask does make one confused, and – surprise, surprise – being confused is not beneficial to scientific research, nor to any other demanding intellectual activity. Multitasking may be fine for walking and chewing gum at the same time, but it is the enemy of serious knowledge work. Today we have ample research to prove this, using methods from MRI scans to psychometric experiments; Prof. George must’ve relied on experience and qualitative observation.

I only wish more people today would pay attention to this observation from three generations ago!