Joyeur

The folks over at 89.3 KPCC were kind enough to ask Jason to join them on their Monday afternoon show to discuss the pros and cons of multi-tasking.

Lead into the discussion:
The phone’s ringing. The emails are coming in. You’re ordering lunch…and driving a five-ton SUV. Busy Americans are famed for their ability to multi-task. But research shows that the constant barrage is taking a toll on productivity and health. The message: Americans need to turn off their electronic devices and focus on one task at a time. Silicon Valley firms are heeding the advice, cutting out instant messaging and swearing off multitasking – but can they still compete with their multitasking competitors? And are they really more efficient?

• Jason Hoffman: A founder of Joyent, which designs Web-based software for small businesses.
• Russell Poldrack, associate professor of psychology at UCLA

Click here to listen to the show. [Update: the link appears to be broken.]

This conversation stemmed from Jason being quoted in the New York Times on November 11th in an article discussing Tim Ferriss’ new book, The Four Hour Work Week.