Multitasking's limits: Studies

It appears critical thinking is needed where multitasking's concerned. Don't just yield indiscriminately to technology's "tug," the New York Times report suggests - manage your technology! The Times says experts in multiple studies advise that we "check email messages once an hour, at most. Listening to soothing background music while studying may improve concentration. But other distractions — most songs with lyrics, instant messaging, television shows — hamper performance. Driving while talking on a cellphone, even with a hands-free headset, is a bad idea." There's still a lot we don't know, though. Because we've only had all these multitasking-enabling digital devices a short time, the research has only just begun.