Mac users have had Exposé for a while, but now that Vista has been released, Windows users can now enjoy fully the productivity-sapping habit of keeping many windows open, flipping through the open apps and documents with the jaw-dropping coolness of Flip 3D.
I have a rather set morning routine once I get to the office: open my computer, fire up Mail and check my work-related messages. Then iSiloX to start downloading newspapers and blogs for offline reading later on in the day. Then iTunes, to download the latest versions of my podcasts. Then Safari, to check my Gmail account, and my daily bookmarked sites. Then AdiumX, to get onto the local Jabber network. Then I open the first documents I need to work on for that day. And in the ten or fifteen minutes that I spend sleepwalking through that routine, I have, maybe, ten or fifteen windows open all at the same time.
The ironic thing is that I don’t believe in multitasking. I kind of subscribe to Merlin Mann’s proposition that we don’t really work on several things at the same time but instead spend little chunks of time focused on a task for a short period of time before proceeding to another one or returning to the previous one. I know it’s counterproductive, but it’s damn hard habit to break.
What’s your routine and how many windows do you have open on a regular basis?
This is PWiT: Philippine Week in Tech 
February 18, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I guess we have to differentiate between multi-tasking and having multiple windows. I too don’t believe in multi-tasking. In fact, I think it’s counter-productive because every time you flip to the next window, you need some warm-up time to get your brain back into gear.
But multiple windows, that’s something else. I usually have several browser windows (or tabs, depending on the program) open at once so that I have something to read while the others are loading up. And you certainly need to open multiple windows for certain background tasks. But that’s the operative word — background.
February 19, 2007 at 7:20 am
Multitasking, Schmultitasking… I don’t think my brain’s wired for that sort of thing.
On my Windows machine, I have a maximum of two windows open — MS Outlook for my “official” emails, then another window that would either be Word or Excel for my official” office work. If I’m not working on a document or spreadsheet, I close those windows down and end up with Outlook and Firefox open.
If I open more than two programs at a time, I get nothing done.
February 19, 2007 at 8:36 am
Yeah, that’s how I thought multi-tasking should work. But when I have other stuff happening in the background, I’m tempted every few minutes to check them out — “Tapos na kaya mag-download ng mail?” or “Ah, may IM message ako from __”.
It boils down to a matter of personal discipline, I guess, and I’m not so good at that…
February 19, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Ah. Me three. I love having different things open at the same time, but having so many options bog you down more than speed you up. Can you spell DISTRACTION?
It’s murder on my writing. That’s why nowadays I just use Writeroom for work. If you missed my post on it here, click on this: https://pwit.wordpress.com/2007/01/08/just-write-dammit/
February 26, 2007 at 9:01 am
Isn’t this also how a single-processor machine actually does multi-tasking, breaking down tasks into smaller tasks and alternating them on the processor.